Randy Orton: Legend Killer Or Career Killer

Jack Swagger should be worried.  It is not because Randy Orton can deliver a RKO out of nowhere or because The Viper has tendencies to unleash his inner animal and tear others apart.  The threat of losing the World Title is very real but a lot worse can happen when involved in a feud with the "Legend Killer."  Previous examples show that Randy does not play well with other superstars who have yet to prove themselves on the main-event level.  This is not always the case, but there is plenty of evidence that shows Randy Orton is deserving of the nickname "Career Killer."

Legacy was the most recent example.  It has yet to be proven but signs point to both Ted Dbiase and Cody Rhodes going nowhere fast.  If they are lucky they can become involved in mid-card feuds with other upcoming talent.  With hard work and the right political alliances they have a chance at making it to the top once again.  The most likely scenario for at least one of them is to earn the title of glorified jobber.  Dibiase has already been the first to take a step toward that role, losing to Christian in a match with no meaning doing nothing to further either character.  The jury is still out.  With Rhodes currently selling a punt to the head, it is hard to see exactly what is planned for the duo.  Hopefully my observation is wrong, but only time will tell. 

Kofi Kingston provides a much better illustration.  His feud with Randy Orton first appeared to be his coming out party.  He was being elevated, showing the world that he could hold his own with one of the top superstars.  Unlike Orton's feud with Legacy, the audience was drawn in and paid attention to both of these performers.  They watched week after week as Kofi showed true emotion in his promos and physical interactions.  All this build up culminated into a pay-per-view match between the two enemies with Randy emerging victorious. Poof! With the loss Kingston has all but disappeared.  He has been featured in some matches, most notably the Elimination Chamber, but did nothing of note.  He show-cased some moves but it became obvious that he was only there to fill a slot.  He had no chance of actually winning.  He has yet to be featured in any type of feud, fighting in matches that are meaningless.  He is now frequently seen jobbing to other upcoming talent such as Sheamus.

My final instance involves a wrestler that is no longer with the company, Mr. Kennedy.  It was not long after returning from injury that Kennedy crossed paths with Orton.  The feud barely had any time to develop before things went south.  After a match involving these two competitors, rumors began to swirl about Orton being displeased with Mr. Kennedy's in-ring performance.  Not long after, Ken Anderson was released from the WWE.  I know that there was probably a lot more that went into his firing, but you have to see the correlation between Randy's displeasure and the subsequent release of Kennedy.  I will not put the entire blame on his shoulders, but you cannot deny that the "Career Killer" was instrumental in the final verdict.

The prosecution rests.

This is just an observation from a casual wrestling fan. The keyword is casual, I have no clue as to any politics involved that might have caused particular superstars to be de-pushed or let go.  I do hope my opinion is wrong.  I want to see both Legacy and Jack Swagger succeed.  Just based on previous examples I am a bit anxious.  I know Randy has feuded with the likes of C.M. Punk and Jeff Hardy and they went on to become true superstars.  It just seems that lately every mid-carder that Orton comes in contact with ends up being buried.

Let me know what you think.  Please prove me wrong.  Randy Orton is one of my favorite wrestlers, although I am slowly losing interest in him.  (There is more to that than just him being responsible for the burying of other talent.)

Thanks for reading. Take care.