Bleacher Report - Randy Orton

Randy Orton Rips Into Kofi Kingston: What His Next WWE Promo "Should" Be

Ryan Michael — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:09:29 -0500

Monday Night Raw opens to a standing ovation as the people in Baltimore, Md. await the introduction to the night's live event.

While it seems as though everyone in the arena is excited for the upcoming program, there dwells one man backstage who appears to be less than enthusiastic.

A video is played on the Titantron to recap the events of the previous week's program, which is then followed by an elaborate display of fireworks that works the crowd into frenzy.

Much to the disappointment of the thousands in attendance, the program begins (much as it did last week) with the sound of Randy Orton's entrance music.

Orton begins to slowly make his way down to the ring, looking much different than he has in recent months.

His hair looks to be a little bit longer, his five o'clock shadow more pronounced, and he has gone back to wearing jeans (instead of trunks) with his usual "gas mask" t-shirt.

Gone is the generic "grumpy" Randy Orton facial expression which has been replaced with that evil look in his eyes (think back to the night he broke Batista's arm).

He makes his way into the ring and picks up the microphone to begin his promo...

"Kofi Kingston,

It saddens me that this issue between the two of us has had to continue, but then again, there are a number of things I regret having done over the past few weeks.

You know, my father always told me that there comes a time in life when a man has to take responsibility for his actions. And he was right.

It was wrong of me to jump you from behind the night after Bragging Rights .

I took an unsuspecting man and threw him off the stage in a fit of rage.

I'll admit it; I've been having a bit of an issue with self-control lately.

Had I taken the time to think things through, perhaps I wouldn't have let my issues with self-control dictate my actions.

For that, Kofi Kingston, I must say that I am sorry.

I'm sorry for throwing you off of the stage like that; those actions were not fitting of a man who deserves to be champion.

I'm sorry, Kofi Kingston, that I didn't do worse.

I allowed my issue with self-control to get the better of me.

Here I stood, a 6-foot-4 former champion and I pitied the little man who cost him team a victory at Bragging Rights .

Sure I was upset that you decided to interfere in my championship match with John Cena, but it was my pity that allowed you to remain conscious.

My mistakes than managed to continue week after week.

I underestimated you, which should come as little surprise. After all, what did I have to be intimidated by?

A man who has held the United States championship, the Intercontinental championship?

Santino Marella held the Intercontinental championship, so don't even get me started Kofi Kingston!

Until Survivor Series, you had done absolutely nothing.

I've main-evented Wrestlemania three times! You couldn't main event a house show!

Your "fluke" victory over me at Survivor Series will prove to be your undoing.

Shawn Michaels might like to call himself the "main-event" but I am the one who has carried this company for the past two years!

When was the last time any of you people spent your hard earned money to buy a PPV that wasn't main-evented by me?

And now I have to deal with you, Kofi Kingston?

Your actions over the last few weeks have been reprehensible.

First, you were upset that I attacked you instead of being grateful that I allowed you to remain an active part of this roster, so what did you do?

You decided to destroy my car!

You caused thousands of dollars worth of damage because you were upset that I got involved in your business after you got involved in mine.

Let me ask you something, Kofi Kingston, do you really think I would have wasted my time putting my hands on you had you not gotten involved in my match?

But you did, Kofi, you did decide to stick your nose in my business and for that you paid a price.

What kind of example were you setting for all these young children who look up to you when they see you destroying valuable property?

How many children do you think thought it was cool to see someone they look up to destroy a motor vehicle?

Now Kofi, it doesn't really matter to me what any of these people think of me, but at least I don't go around pretending to care.

Then, all those same people who look up to you, were the same people you put in danger a few weeks later.

Think back, Kofi.

YOU decided to get involved in my business with Roddy Piper.

YOU decided to save someone who has done far worse things than I ever have and why?

So you could try to put your hands on me.

You knew you couldn't compete with me one on one, so you decided that one of your typical "sneak attacks" would give you the upper hand.

But that Kofi Kingston, wasn't enough.

You could have faced me one on one in the ring, but you were smart enough to take me out of my element.

The same ring in which I have defeated countless legends was not a place where you were brave enough to face me.

You had to bring the fight outside the ring and in the process you endangered the very people who seem to care about you.

It was YOU who threw me into the live crowd at Madison Square Garden.

It was YOU who brought a dangerous physical confrontation right next to the women and children in the audience.

It was all fair game to you, so long as you got to instigate another fight.

You felt perfectly comfortable throwing punches next to a live crowd of people who had nothing to do with your little issue.

I tried to bring the fight back to the ring, but you would have nothing of it.

You threw me back over the guard-rail a second time and continued to put all of those people in jeopardy."

Orton begins to draw a lot of heat from the crowd who are reacting as though his accusations are inaccurate.

He responds...

"You people think I'm making this up?

Roll the footage!"

The Titantron plays the footage of Kofi Kingston's brawl with Randy Orton at Madison Square Garden. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBaVSl5y4c8&feature=related )

"The footage doesn't lie, Kofi.

It was YOU who decided to risk the well-being of all those fans, and for that you should be ashamed of yourself.

But our story didn't end there.

You picked up a "fluke" victory at Survivor Series, something that would NEVER happen if you were to face me one on one right here in the middle of this ring.

Then you cost me the chance to win back MY title last week.

So now the time has come, Kofi Kingston.

As sick as it might make me to have to soil myself by competing against the likes of you, I'm willing to do it if it means I don't have to see your face ever again.

You can join Ric Flair and the countless other people I've put on the shelf by staying at home every Monday night and watching me continue to achieve my destiny.

My destiny is the WWE Championship, you're just a temporary fix.

After I take out whatever is left of you come TLC , the board of directors will have no choice but to give me another shot at my title.

You might not like it Kofi Kingston, but I want you to remember something important.

When you’re sitting at home, a broken man and your family wonders why you can't run quite as fast or why you can’t jump quite as high, I want you to tell them that it is because of the decisions that you made.

Allow your family to learn from your mistakes, allow yourself to be another example of what happens when someone decides to get involved in my business.

I might have apologized to you earlier tonight, Kofi Kingston, but I assure you that after I put you down at TLC , there will be no more apologies to be given.

That is, if you're even conscious enough to understand anything after I’m done with you."

Disclaimer:

Please be aware that the above scripted promo is 100 percent fictitious.

Randy Orton portrays a villainous character on television, therefore the promo is intended to be reflective of how such a character might choose to voice himself.

In no way do I endorse any of the comments or views presented within the promo as the entire script was created for the sole purpose of entertainment.

Thank you for your understanding.

Read more Randy Orton news on BleacherReport.com

Why the WWE Championship Is Exciting Again

Steven Ransiear — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:15:27 -0500

For the first time in years, I'm excited about the WWE Championship scene.

For oh so long we've had a never-ending trading of the belt between HHH, John Cena, and Randy Orton. Sure Jeffy Hardy and Batista snuck in once or twice, but it's been dominated by only a select few since 2006.

Right now though, we've finally got a few breakout superstars ready to take over when the call is made.

Just recently a relative newcomer in Sheamus has asserted himself into the main event scene. With a championship match at the TLC PPV coming soon, RAW finally has another heel to work with.

On the flip side, the hot new babyface is Kofi Kingston. Kingston has all the tools you would look for in a face for your company. This year we saw Kingston break out of his shell on ECW and enter into a career-making feud with Randy Orton.

Kofi has dropped the fake Jamaican accent and the happy go lucky gimmick. Now we see a youngster with fire in his heart, ready to fight back against a big bully in Randy Orton.

It's because Orton is such a strong personality in the WWE that when Kingston made that shift, it instantly clicked and got over with the audience. It was a smart move on the WWE's part to put a little faith in a new guy.

Outside of Kingston and Sheamus you have the potential hidden inside the annual WWE Draft to shake things up.

Assuming both Kingston and Sheamus stay on RAW, it would be a wise move to bring some talent from Smackdown over to add to the mix. If RAW is the flagship show, then it should have the best championship division possible.

Take Chris Jericho, who will most likely be losing the the Unified Tag Team Championship as Big Show is heading for the operating room soon. Jericho has done a lot in the WWE including being a top champion.

Right now however, his great heel persona could lead to him being the perfect counter to a John Cena or a Kofi Kingston should Kingston rise further up the ladder.

Of course there's a better option right now if you want to pluck a heel from Smackdown. CM Punk is stuck in mid card hell with R-Truth.

It doesn't matter if you like R-Truth or not, he's not a main eventer. CM Punk has nothing to gain from this program. Putting him back on RAW is a decision I would make in a heartbeat.

Punk had a great match with John Cena on the Thanksgiving RAW recently which showed that he can work with essentially anyone in the company. The fans were into it and you have to believe the promos Punk could deliver in a program with Cena would be golden.

Punk can tear anyone down but Cena also has the ability to dish it right back. A feud needs both strong promos and angles as well as strong matches.

Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to move The Undertaker from his long time home on Smackdown.

It'd make sense to have one of the biggest stars in WWE history to be on the A-Show as his career comes to a close. You have some major names on RAW that could provide a potential Wrestlemania-caliber feud for the dead man.

I for one wouldn't mind seeing HHH against Taker at Wrestlemania for the belt, but it seems like HHH is locked into DX for the foreseeable future.

As a secondary option, why not look into a Sheamus-Undertaker program? I don't think it'd be the Wrestlemania spectacle that most would hope for but it could really make or break the Celtic Warrior. Many have gained valuable experience and credibility after working with The Undertaker.

With those small roster changes you could have a totally new breed of championship division on RAW. Transitioning from HHH, Orton, and Cena to Kingston, Sheamus, The Undertaker, Cena, and Punk or Jericho. Which seems more diverse to you?

It's quite easy for us to sit back and look at very simple changes that could add so much to the overall product of a company. Finally, it looks like some of those changes have been put into motion.

Things are looking good for the WWE Championship, my friends.

Read more Randy Orton news on BleacherReport.com

CM Punk: Can We Put an End to the Nonsense?

Mark Delaney — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:28:19 -0500

CM Punk is one superstar whose name has been bandied about for the past few weeks. This is most notably because he is engaged in a feud with R-Truth, a mid-carder, and many believe that Punk is joining that group of superstars again.

Can everybody take a step back for a brief moment?

I personally find this whole issue rather irritating to say the least. Punk is a top heel who has been involved in the title picture essentially since Wrestlemania, when we received weekly promos showing him attempt to cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase.

The WWE clearly recognises his talent, and anybody who says otherwise should take some time to think logically.

Firstly, CM Punk is the man who defeated Jeff Hardy in a ladder match at Summerslam. More importantly, this was in clean fashion. The most adored superstar in WWE was beaten fairly by a heel with massive heat, quite rarely seen in today's era.

Secondly, CM Punk then went on to defeat Hardy in a Cage match the next night on Smackdown, once again in clean fashion, causing Hardy to quit the WWE. The WWE recognised a superstar who had the abilities and plausibility to defeat and end the career of Hardy.

Hardy, whether you love him or not, was debatably one of the most profitable, if not the most profitable superstar in WWE. The fact that he was beaten fairly by Punk twice showed the faith that WWE has in this performer.

Now, can somebody please tell me why WWE would suddenly lose their faith in a superstar into whom they have entrusted so much?

CM Punk is simply respected enough by the WWE to be seen as a man with enough talent to engineer another superstar's rise to stardom.

The man in question, R-Truth, is enjoying a certain amount of adulation from the crowd at the moment. Thus, it should be stated that Punk is doing his job very well.

The fact that Punk survived to the remaining seconds along with Orton in the recent Survivor Series traditional elimination match shows the fact that the WWE has not lost their faith in the man.

Randy Orton, the name usually at the tip of everybody's tongue, including my own, is engaging in an almost identical feud at the moment on RAW.

The fact that he is the name on the tip of everybody's tongue ensures that he stays firmly in the limelight, regardless of whether he faces Kofi Kingston or MVP or any other mid-carder.

CM Punk does not have the luxury of such recognition and status, and thus the wrestling population believe him to be relegated to the bench, so to speak.

This is the man who has twice won Money in the Bank, so let us not think for one second that he is a mid-carder again.

I am personally willing to give this feud a chance to develop, and the fact remains that if it doesn't, Punk will likely be back in the championship frame.

This enigmatic heel will undoubtedly have the World Heavyweight Championship around his waist before long, and all of you who have spoken too soon will have to eat your words.

Thanks, Mark.

Read more Randy Orton news on BleacherReport.com

Randy Orton: What Happened to the Evil That Once Made You Great?

Ryan Michael — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:18:24 -0500

We miss you, Randy Orton.

We really do.

It has been far too long since we have seen "the" Randy Orton that struck fear into the hearts of each and every person foolish enough to get in his way.

Don't you remember?

Readers, think back the beginning of 2009.

Think back to the time when the evolution of Randy Orton was something that kept you on the edge of your sofa each and every Monday night.

Sure, the script writers butchered a few angles (Shane McMahon's kitten-punches, IED, and Orton's law come to mind) but the total product was something fresh, something original, something...

Special.

Everything seemed to work.

The return from a broken collar-bone made you fresh, your new tattoos gave you attitude, and your facial expressions provided the video footage to match your deranged theme music.

This was the Randy Orton the WWE Universe couldn't get enough of.

Yet what do we have before us today?

The top heel on Raw?

I'll give you that.

Someone the people will "pay" to see?

Yep, you still got it.

The No. 1 guy in the industry?

Unquestionably (though those who embrace the right to be incorrect might beg to differ).

But someone to be afraid of?

No.

And it's a shame.

A shame that the WWE's finest script writers decided to turn you into a comic-book character.

"Here comes Randy Orton the bad guy, I hope Super Cena can defeat the villain."

That's the problem: Randy Orton should not be a villain, which is exactly what they've made him.

Kofi Kingston = good.

Randy Orton = bad.

Ryan Michael thinks...who cares?

Sure, it's nice to see the little guy stand triumphant but when it's all said and done, I feel as though I've watched a big sweaty version of a Saturday morning cartoon.

Way to go, PG-ratings.

Yet I yearn for the day when I can truly "care" about the WWE's Randy Orton product.

I stand by it, I'd buy it over and over again because my loyalty resides with the Superstar who has entertained me year after year.

That's called being a fan.

But when was the last time I sat and watched Raw, clutched my chest and said "What the f**k just happened?, I can't believe he just did that!"?

Where's the unpredictable Randy Orton?

You see, somewhere along the line Randy Orton ceased to be "the evil evolution of sports entertainment" and simply became a slithering snake of a villain.

NOT the same thing.

Back in the day (or should I say, 10 months ago) Randy Orton didn't take anyone's sh*t.

When Batista wanted to whine like a perplexed caveman about how he was "sick and tired" or Orton bad-mouthing the group that turned on him and beat him down for no reason, Orton punted him in the skull (saving us months of Batistic garbage) and cured the WWE again by tearing up his arm after he returned.

When Triple H found himself caught in the middle of "the destruction of the McMahon family" that came about as a result of the decisions that he made, Randy Orton made him cry in front of 20,000 people.

This was a Randy Orton who became a force to be reckoned with.

When the WWE's so-called bad-a**es would simply "beat you up," Randy Orton would take you out.

Randy Orton would never, and allow me to stress the word NEVER, allow someone like Kofi Kingston to cough on him, let alone make him bleed.

Randy Orton took men who had actually held the title, like CM Punk, and punted them out of relevance before they even had the opportunity to fight back.

He didn't get beat up by people under 6'0".

Okay, I can understand "selling" for people, but there has to be a limit to everything within reason.

As I say, give us the bad in moderation, don't make me throw up by having to drink the whole glass.

Randy Orton doesn't "need" to change because he's still 10 steps ahead of the curve on a bad week with the WWE's script writers writing backwards.

But if Randy Orton wants to become truly "great" again, we need to see that hunger, that hatred in his eyes every time the slightest thing goes wrong for him.

We can't see him getting beat up week after week but more importantly, we can't see his opponents walking around Raw without fear.

Randy Orton's opponents should either be overcome with fear as a result of their common-sense of they should be stricken by injury for their lack of it.

THAT is the Randy Orton we need to see back on television Monday nights.

Disclaimer: For those of you who might have taken this article a little too literally, please understand that the point of view conveyed in the article is representative of my opinion as it pertains to the fictional world of the WWE and is not intended to be reflective of my personal views regarding reality. Thank you.

Read more Randy Orton news on BleacherReport.com

Let's Not Focus Only On Sheamus Challenging Cena, But On WWE RAW Itself

Joe Burgett — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:42:03 -0500

With everyone talking about Sheamus going head to head with John Cena for the WWE Title, I wanted to focus on RAW itself. See, I have no issue with Sheamus in the World Title hunt, at least for one PPV.

I mean think about it, who else could they put in there that we haven't seen before? Orton? Triple H? Shawn Michaels?

Then you have people such as The Miz and Jack Swagger who seem to be in a small feud together, so they are out. Of course Kofi Kingston has one going with Randy Orton, so both of them are out.

Obviously, Sheamus was a smart choice both for the sake of the fans and the sake of the show.

I was talking about this great Irishman down in FCW called Sheamus for some time now and when he finally made his debut, I was excited.

I mean this guy was the FCW World Champion, and he was kicking butt and taking names down there. He was far better than anyone there and deserved to be on a main roster.

He was put on ECW and did well, then went to RAW and since he has been there, he has gone roughshod on all he has faced. The issue is that it has been against smaller people and no-name wrestlers.

Then he took out The King, which was not a match, but a cheap shot outside the ring.

I thought RAW was great. When Jesse "The Body" or now "The Governor" Ventura was announced, I was not really expecting a wonderful show.

But if you ask me, we saw a great one. Ventura is easily near or at the top of list for my favorite guest hosts. I personally like a guy who speaks his mind and doesn't care what people think.

He did that and it was great. There were two things that stood out to me that I thought were quite stupid, though:

One thing was that Mark Henry was in the Breakthrough Battle Royal match. Now don't get me wrong, I like Henry. However, the rules that Ventura made said that no former World Champions could be in the battle royal.

Now, he broke the rule for Randy Orton. However, people forget that Henry was a former ECW Champion. The WWE has been saying its a World Title, but then they do things like this, contradicting themselves.

This is an excerpt from Matt Hardy's WWE Profile page on WWE.com:

"Apart from his sibling, Matt has achieved success in solo ranks as well, including United States, Hardcore, European and Cruiserweight Championship reigns. The greatest achievement, however, came in 2008 when Matt triumphed in a Championship Scramble Match to capture the ECW Title; his first taste of World Championship gold."

Now, the WWE says right here that the ECW Title is a "World Championship", yet they totally contradict that by putting Mark Henry, a former ECW Champion, into the battle royal.

By the way, Hardy actually won the title from Henry, as Henry was the ECW Champ going into the Championship Scramble match.

The match last night was said to only be for people who have never held a World Title.

Maybe instead of putting him in, you could put another SmackDown Superstar in the match-up, as R-Truth was the only one. And by the way, he was the first eliminated.

Now, Henry didn't win, but it did prove one thing; the ECW Championship is not a World Title and the WWE needs to just come out and say it. The signs have been there for so long anyway.

I mean look at the title for starters, it's platinum or silver if you will. They changed it to give us a new belt, which I have no problem with, but the old ECW Title had gold all over it, where as the new belt is only silver.

Therefore, having the ECW Title is just as big for someone as the Intercontental or US Title, as it is mainly a secondary title.

It's silver, showing us that the title is not a World Title, the gold if you will. As we all know by watching the Olympics, the silver is second place, never first.

Leaving from that little spill, we now go to the last segment of the night. Now, this segment was the contract signing for the WWE Title at the TLC PPV. Cena and Sheamus are in the ring and we all know that something will happen.

I expected the heel Sheamus to put Cena through the table. That was a bit obvious to me, but the thing I didn't expect was what Ventura had to say about Cena.

He said that it was a conspiracy theory in the WWE to keep the WWE Title belt around Cena's waist. He went on to say that Cena was the perfect yes-man, while he was never like that and because of it, he never got World Title matches.

To me, this is stupid for the WWE to do. Cena already gets flack from the fans for things like this.

People do not like that he is in the World Title matches a lot and the WWE is entertainment, so its not like its a real sport where a conspiracy could happen to keep one champion.

If you check all of Cena's World Title matches for the title or to retain, he wins them clean if he is set to win.

So, for the writers to have Ventura try to sell his new show even more so by having him say it was a conspiracy between Cena and the WWE to keep the title on him because he was their yes-man, is stupid.

It made me very irate because the WWE uses Cena as their top guy because of what Ventura was saying true, but because he sells. Some people may have gotten tired of his character, but he still sells a lot of merchandise and is cheered everywhere he goes.

There is a mix of boos sometimes, this is true. But, he still does quite well. He sells moves as good as any other in the WWE other than Shawn Michaels, but seriously, not a lot of people can do what HBK does. Just look at the match he had with Hulk Hogan to see how much he sells.

A lot of the criticism is not fair toward Cena and people forget that he is only doing what he is told to do and because of that, he is rewarded for it. People like Ventura never got a World Title shot in the WWE because he didn't belong in them.

The dude was not nearly as good as the people in the matches. So, the WWE could care less what he was saying, in fact he was put on the mic because he was entertaining.

The reason he was never a World Champion in the WWE was because he simply was not as good as people such as Hogan, Sheik, Hart, Andre, and others.

I know the WWE is scripted entertainment, but you are killing Cena's character when you cross certain lines like that. He is already suffering with the fans from the lack of character depth you have given him, why hurt him worse?

Some are going to agree that he gets in the World Title hunt a lot, but so does just about all of the people in them.

How many times did we see Orton in the World Title hunt? Just about all year, pretty much since he came back from injury in 2008, he has been in the hunt or was the WWE Champion.

Then you have Triple H who was in them a lot, as he always is. Undertaker is in them a lot, CM Punk has been, Chris Jericho has been, and countless others.

This is why I like that Sheamus is going against Cena at TLC, because it gives us some new meat in the title hunt.

For idiots to come out and say Orton or anyone else who has been in the hunt or have been champion all year should be in the title match should really punch themselves in the face, which will hopefully snap you out of whatever stupid trance you are in.

Finally we are seeing some new feuds, be thankful about that. This could be the only time it happens all this year or next year.

Of course. people who know the WWE should know now that these are probably going to be the feuds that last all of 2010. So while they may be new and fresh right now, they may be old and stale by June when the same are still going on.

While RAW was good, there are things that made sense, then other things that were so stupid, I thought 3-year-olds were writing the show. Which some would say has been the case all along.

Seriously, this makes me want to see B/R Writers run one show and show the WWE how it's done. I'm just saying.

Read more Randy Orton news on BleacherReport.com

"At Least It's Not Orton": Sheamus and Other RAW Ramblins!

Ashley Morris — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:39:16 -0500

At the 9:15 PM mark of last night's latest iteration of Monday Night RAW on the USA Network, I turned to my buddy and asked him a simple question:

"Wait, it's just 9:15?" I asked.

"Yep," he replied dryly.

"We still got another hour to go!" I remarked.

"Yep," he replied dryly again.

Last night's three hour Thanksgiving special episode of RAW seemed to drag on forever, and at times the crowd gave numerous apathetic responses to the action in the ring or backstage.

In fact, Jesse Ventura, arguably one of the most colorful and controversial wrestlers and commentators to ever grace the WWE, garnered some less than enthusiastic cheers from the live crowd in Hershey, PA.

Sure the fans chanted his name, but I got a feeling that most of the folks in attendance probably had no clue of who Ventura was...even with the whole Governor thing going for him.

As the show ambled into the final hour, and the advertised Breakthrough Battle Royal took place, fans worldwide were witness to an incredible event that I had been secretly hoping would happen sometime soon.

WWE Superstar, "The Celtic Warrior" Sheamus, became the new No. 1 Contender to the WWE Heavyweight Title. At the Dec. 13 PPV TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs , Sheamus will face Champion John Cena in a Tables' Match.

It was only a matter of time before these two behemoths crossed paths, and I find it refreshing that the WWE is attempting to pull some new blood into the main event scene.

However, their decision to give the nod to Sheamus has the huge potential to alienate tons of die-hard fans that would rather watch a Mae Young striptease than be forced to see Cena put over a superstar that has yet to "earn his stripes."

Sheamus' push is not necessarily a bad thing, and by using last night's episode of RAW, I can explain how one can come to such a seemingly irrational and whiskey induced conclusion.

1. Orton Can't Face Cena AGAIN

At the Oct. 25 Bragging Rights PPV, John Cena faced Randy Orton in an Anything Goes 60 minute Iron Man Match for the WWE Heavyweight Title. Heading into this PPV, John Cena literally struck a deal with the devil: if Randy Orton retained his championship, Cena would have to leave RAW (this sort of makes that whole Draft thing pointless, doesn't it?).

HOWEVER, there was another stipulation that now seems to have been swept under the rug...if Cena defeated Randy Orton, not only would he gain the WWE Heavyweight Championship, but Randy would also have to forfeit ALL of his future title shots against John Cena.

I KNOW I'm not retarded, because all of this happened when Orton laid the deal out with Cena in the first place.

So imagined the look on my face when Orton jumped Primo Colon and tossed him off the ramp (in the same exact way he did Kofi Kingston, by the way) and inserted himself in the Breakthrough Battle Royal Qualifying match that was then sanctioned by Guest GM Jesse Ventura.

In fact, imagine how much more pissed off I was when Orton laid out Evan Bourne for the win.

I'm all for kayfabe, but I'm an even bigger fan of continuity; by having Orton win the battle royal to face Cena would have been one huge big "screw you" to the WWE fans, something very similar to a Commander-in-Chief telling his people that a war was over, only to turn around and run for re-election with a "you can't get rid of me in the middle of a war" campaign...but that's an article for another web site.

Having Cena face Orton for the ninetieth time, especially after building a match on the premise that it would be the end of such an epic rivalry, would be downright atrocious to any fan that had at least enough sense to know the difference between the novel concept of "up" and "down."

2. Let's Look At Our Other Options

We know who Cena will face at next month's PPV, but can we take a second to look at all the people he could have possibly faced?

Here's a list of the individuals that did not make it into the battle royal: Dolph Ziggler, Finlay, Chavo Guerrero, Jack Swagger, Chris Masters, Primo Colon, Evan Bourne, and Cryme Time.

Please be honest with yourself; can you imagine any of these superstars facing John Cena or The Undertaker for their respective championship titles in three weeks? I'd be hard pressed to believe that anyone outside of Ziggler would get such an opportunity.

My cynicism is cruel and unwarranted for such a talented array of superstars, but I highly doubt Primo Colon or JTG could draw bath water let alone buy rates as main event stars in a title match given their current pushes.

3. The Beginning of an Intense Battle

I own the video game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe , and out of all the possible matchups of fighters on the game, the one that had me giddy was a fight between Superman and Captain Marvel. Here you have to equally matched heroes coming to blows right in front of you.

To watch two fighters with similar builds, somewhat similar abilities, and fiercely similar passions go against one another was like music for my eyes.

I think the same thing when I imagine the matchup of Cena and Sheamus.

On one hand, you have John Cena—the WWE PG Era equivalent to Hulk Hogan. He never surrenders, he never quits, and he never backs down from a challenge.

Cena is a brawler, and by design was not meant to have an expansive move list or a wide array of submission holds and aerial abilities. When he engages an opponent in a battle, it is not going to be pretty at all.

However, the kids of today admire his determination and his will to overcome all odds in order to remain "the best" by WWE Heavyweight Title standards. His cheerful disposition and his resilience are like gold to tons of kids all over the globe that face obstacles that continuously prove to be insurmountable.

Cena is a role model that subconsciously tells kids today, "No matter how ugly the situation may be, you can never back down from it and you can never quit!"

Then on the other hand, you have Sheamus. At 6'6", 280 lbs., this Celtic Warrior is a beast that cannot be taken lightly. His assaults are unrelenting, and much like John Cena, Sheamus is not afraid to back down from an opponent. His offense is what Jim Ross would refer to as "bowling shoe ugly," and is designed to hurt and brutalize his opponents.

Sheamus is five inches shorter than Cena, weighs forty more pounds, and is eight months younger than the man. His physical build resembles Cena's, and both men have a penchant for brawling until they cannot do so any longer.

Sheamus is not about games, motivational speeches, or even the championship belt to some extent. Sheamus wants to beat Cena and will relish in seeing the man lay in an intensive care unit.

How could you not want to see these two bulls clash against one another? It's two supercharged trains heading for a collision course, and as much as you want people to think that you're not watching it, you and I know we're both waiting with binoculars and bags of popcorn.

So what are your thoughts? Are you anxiously waiting for the moment these two will meet each other in the ring, or are you composing a letter to WWE Creative to let them know that they've dropped the ball?

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The WWE Dropped the Ball with the Randy Orton/Kofi Kingston Rivalry

Ryan Michael — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:51:22 -0500

This rivalry had all of the potential in the world to succeed beyond measure but instead, it fell flat on its face.

You'll have to forgive me as I have not had the time to track the B/R response to this rivalry, but I'm just going to go ahead and assume that most people would consider it a success.

I wouldn't.

But it's not because of my overwhelming bias for everything that is Randy Orton.

Granted, I do feel that the most talented man in the industry deserves better, but not even I expect him to win all of the time. But allow me to elaborate regarding my view on Kofi Kingston.

He is without question, one of the very best performers the WWE has to offer.

The WWE did the right thing by allowing him to develop his character by dropping the fake accent and giving him the chance to cut quality promos for the first time in his career.

I had never heard Kingston cut promos like he had during his feud with Orton, and I found this new take on his character to be refreshing.

The WWE had to allow him to become his own man if they ever hoped for him to be pushed past the mid-card level and they have succeeded in that respect. The problem is, they pushed him too fast and pushed him against the wrong guy.

Randy Orton is not someone to mess with, plain and simple.

And with all due respect to Kofi Kingston, he had not earned enough stripes when he defeated Randy Orton at Survivor Series.

Randy Orton has taken out the best the WWE has had to offer, period, I don't even need to go through the laundry list of names.

They should not have taken someone who was "on the rise" and have him topple the WWE's most dangerous force.

It would be like having Dolph Ziggler defeating the Undertaker, but yeah...

The WWE had no problem allowing a mid-card face to topple a main-event heel, but they would certainly take issue with a mid-card heel toppling a main-event face.

I'm sure that some of you might disagree with my analogy, but I don't see any greater a differential between Ziggler and the Undertaker than I do between Kingston and Orton.

But if they're going to have Kingston beat Orton, couldn't they have made it a bit more realistic?

Watching a six-feel tall Kofi Kingston physically dominate a man who made Triple H cry is bad enough, but seeing it progress week after week without seeing Kingston being placed in any bit of danger is just bad booking.

The WWE did succeed in getting people to cheer for Kingston more than ever.

It seems as though their willingness to allow Kingston to dominate week after week without any sort of repercussions encouraged the people to embrace him more than ever.

That's good for both Kingston and Orton because it shows that they are playing their roles well. It's just a shame to have seen a rivalry that would appear to be so uneven one way end up so one sided in the other direction.

I'm sure that tphe WWE is happy with their decision, as may be many people.

But that doesn't make the direction the right one, or the realistic one for that matter.

Read more Randy Orton news on BleacherReport.com

Randy Orton vs Edge Monday Night Raw 2007: Forgotten Classic Vol. V

Captain Charisma — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:52:59 -0500

After a month long hiatus, the fabled Forgotten Classic series written by the biggest Peep in the world is back for the milestone of its fifth Volume. This edition was inspired by two of your fellow B/R Peeps; Andrea Claire and Miss Annie. These two are Edgeheads and Ortonites, respectively, and I thought I would give a shout out to these two by dedicating this next volume to Rated RKO, or more specifically, the implosion of Rated RKO 2007.

So prepare to go down memory line and revisit a classic matchup between two wrestlers that have one thing in common; they are both lesser wrestlers and entertainers than Christian!

Apr. 30, 2007, Monday Night Raw: Randy Orton vs. Edge

D-Generation-X (who had reunited earlier in 2006 due to having a common enemy in Vincent Kennedy McMahon) cost Edge the WWE Championship against John Cena inside the always unforgiving confines of a steel cage.

This was the last straw for Edge, and the following week, during the Cutting Edge (just think, a poor man's version of the Peep Show), he extended his hand to the Legend Killer himself to unite with him and take down DX. Knowing the history that Randy Orton had with both men, Edge knew he could not resist the opportunity to get rid of the two biggest thorns in his side. Thus, Rated RKO was born.

It was not surprising that Rated RKO quickly climbed the ladder on Raw, becoming the top dogs by first defeating DX at Cyber Sunday and then defeating Ric Flair and Roddy Piper for the World Tag Team Championships the following week on Raw. The final contest between Rated RKO and DX was at New Years Revolution. As you may well know, it was during this match that HHH ruptured his knee, thus forcing him out of action until Summerslam 2007.

With DX defeated, Randy Orton and Edge had done what they had set out to do: defeat their nemesis once and for all. However, things began getting sour for our favorite heel couple when they both strived to become what every wrestler thrives to become: the WWE Champion.

Miscommunication led to them being eliminated from the 2007 Rumble at the final four stage and dissension again cost either of them a shot at the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 23, when Shawn Michaels beat them at a triple threat No. 1 contendership match to get a shot at the WWE Championship against Cena at 'Mania.

With this route being blocked for the egotistical pair, they decided to go down another in order to claim what they believe rightfully belongs to them and that was the annual Money in the Bank Ladder match. However, it was Mr. Kennedy who triumphed at Wrestlemania and gained the coveted briefcase.

After Wrestlemania 23, Edge and Orton both threw their names into the WWE Championship picture and it was official; it would be Randy Orton vs. Edge vs. HBK vs. John Cena (c) for the WWE Championship at Backlash of 2007.

But, they again came up short in their attempts to become champion and with the tension between these two at an all time high, a contract was signed for a match the week after Backlash. However, due to time constraints as a result of the epic John Cena and HBK Wrestlemania rematch, the duo would face-off the following week in what would be the final chapter in the rise, the fall and the implosion of Rated RKO.

The Match

Here it is my B/R Peeps!

The Verdict

Putting everything else aside, this was a match that was worth the entrance fee for anyone who attended. It was a high quality wrestling match from start to finish, showcasing both Randy Orton's and Edge's talents as performers.

The match had the right blend of spots, rest holds and signature moves, yet kept the story that these two were telling at the forefront; they were proving to themselves and to everyone else which one was the better half of Rated RKO and which one was the main instigator for their success.

Furthermore, these two knew each other inside out due to their tag-team exploits so their wrestling style meshed perfectly. You had them pull out all the stops to one-up each other; from the Edgecution of the Rated R Superstar to the inverted back-breaker of the Legend Killer, from the Edge-O-Matic of Edge to the powerslam of Randy Orton.

And, adding to that with perfectly timed near-falls and finisher attempts and you had the crowd eating out of their hands leading to the hot finish.

This match also showcased what the WWE does not do very often these days and that is an heel vs. heel encounter.

The last one was the bout between Edge and Chris Jericho on Smackdown and this is an avenue that is not utilized enough by the WWE in the present era. The psychology of two heels trying to out heel each other throughout is entertaining to watch. And, to see Orton grab a handful of Edge's trunks, which led to Edge repaying the favor by using the ropes as leverage was as good as seeing two faces exchanging blows.

However, it was clear who the fans were behind in this match. It may have been because of the pure hatred the fan had against Edge at that time but Randy Orton was clearly the babyface of the match with "RANDY!! RANDY!!" chants emanating from the crowd on several occasions. This alone proves that the Legend Killer has the tools to be a top babyface in the WWE and when allowed to perform this role, the fans will indeed cheer for Randy Orton in full force.

Why Is It Forgotten?

Unlike my previous volumes, this match is not forgotten in such that the WWE has not recognized it later on. It was featured on an Edge DVD, however, it could have been so much more.

Every fan loves to see the blow-off when a tag-team splits and we have had many great moments and matches as a result. I mean, who can forget the SCM by Shawn Michaels on Marty Jannety through the barbershop window and the subsequent match was voted match of the year.

Plain and simple, this match should have been at Wrestlemania 23. The fans were on the edge of their seats from the start of to 2007 in anticipation for the implosion of Rated RKO and if this has occurred on a stage like Wrestlemania, this match would surely have been another iconic Wrestlemania moment.

What made this decision even more stupid was that the two men were instead thrown into the Money in the Bank match, a match neither man won (the honor went to Mr. Kennedy). It was a waste of a money making opportunity and one that I believe the WWE regrets.

Final Thoughts

Randy Orton and Edge have both gone onto to superstardom since this bout, both winning multiple World Championships and both providing us with mark out moments, both in and out of the ring. I, and most likely every other Peep, would relish a feud between these two, and when the inevitable feud occurs, the WWE would be wise to interweave the rise, fall and implosion of one of the most hated memorable tag-teams in recent memory.

Read more Randy Orton news on BleacherReport.com

WWE Survivor Series 2009 Prediction Competition Results

Hayley-L Graham — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:54:07 -0500

Survivor Series has come and gone for another year, and what an event! Both main titles were retained, Kofi Kingston took another step up the ladder, and Shawn Michaels knocked the taste out of Triple H's mouth on many occasions.

Between all this calamity, who was able to prove their prediction skills and claim the top spot? Who had the shame of being in last place? Did anyone else become a member of the 100 percent club?

48 brave creatures put their pride, honor, and ego on the line to risk a chance at glory, but for whom did the price pay off?

Let's find out in the final table for the Survivor Series prediction competition!

Three points: Joint 48th

AkD

Tom Dunn

Four points: Joint 46th

Peter Lange

Patrick Schoemehl

Kenneth Fagan

Roopan Verma

Justin Thomas

Six points: Joint 41nd

Ashley Morris

Miss Annie aka AK127

Niall Kelcher

Justin Erickson

Mike Salvatore

Dub Sizzle

John Landrigan

Josh McMullen

Hurricane Hubbard

Tommy Cochran

Hayley Graham

Josh Edwards

Seven points: Joint 29th

Aadhya Shivakumar

John Harris

Andrea Claire

Rocky Getters

Eight points: Joint 25th

Jev

Damian H

Shane H

Jose Moguel

Nick Signorelli

Steven Merriam

Dale Burke

Nine points: Joint 18th

Dustin Speaker

Chris Mueller

Zohair Khan

Mr Mean

Christopher Ngo

Legend Killer

Svyato Rovenchuk

Sebastian Cedeno

Juan

Catalina Monsalve

10 points: Eighth

Greg Bush

11 points: Joint Seventh

Benjaimin David

David Eddings

Ricky Bhatia

xxValentinoxx Aka rashad

Rob Gushue

Captain Charisma

12 points: First

Asheel Din

Congratulations to Asheel for topping the table, erasing the humiliation of receiving 0 points in the last contest.

Thanks to everybody for taking part, as that is what really counts!

With the newest PPV, "TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs" just around the corner, will anybody else be able to step up and claim first place, adding their name to the list of past winners?

Thanks for playing, and I'll see you at TLC!

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