WWE: Is the Impromptu Kane vs. Randy Orton Rivalry Leading to WrestleMania?

“Hey, Kane?”

“Sup?”

“Hey, the whole thing with Cena was good, but it was kind of a mess at the end, with Ryder, and Eve, so since John has Rocky at WrestleMania, we’re thinking about just pairing you up with Orton, he’s got nothing else to do.”

“Oh.  Well, okay, that's cool, I guess.”

And, that’s how it happened.  Line for line, and word for word, that’s how WWE creative wrote the next great storyline involving the Big Red Machine.  

Shut up, they did.  You weren’t there.

Well, okay, maybe that’s not the way it went down, but it does feel that way, doesn’t it?

The truth is, we’re all aware of Wade Barrett’s recent injury, one that reportedly is worse than WWE initially thought, and if not for that, he would likely have faced Randy Orton at WrestleMania 28.

The two have so much heat for so long now, that the only way to really get a big payoff, to decide the final winner, would have been on the grandest stage of them all.  

But recently, the buzz online is that Barrett was to be the winner of a Money in the Bank ladder match at Mania, and supposedly would have gone up to World Title status later this year.

I’m sorry, what?

I know, that last bit makes no sense to me either.  I mean, isn’t the actual Money in the Bank pay per view coming up in a few months?  Was the plan to have three guys running around with three different briefcases?

Despite what any of their plans may have been, none of it is happening now, as Wade is on the sidelines, and Orton is without a real feud, and a real opponent, to take to the big dance.

Imagine that.  Randy Orton.  Nine-time WWE and World Champion, the man who has been riding so high in the company for so long, now has nothing to do going into the biggest pay-per-view event in professional wrestling.

An interesting turn of events, to say the least.

But, never fear, because there is hope for the Apex Predator.  Why?

Because, Kane also has nothing to do going into the biggest pay-per-view event in professional wrestling.

There.  Problem solved.

While my oversimplification of the situation is apparent, the fact that the entire thing feels like a last-second Hail Mary pass is likely not lost on any of us.  So, assuming that we’re all right on that notion, let’s just leave it where it is, and move on.

No sense in making yourself crazy over it.  WWE creative can have that effect on you.

So, Kane vs. Randy Orton at WrestleMania 28.  Excited about this one?

It’s a tall order at this point, to book matches that fans can really sink their teeth into, considering the card that is already there.  Kane and Orton may be just the high-profile contest that will fit in with what’s being planned at WrestleMania.

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho, Triple H vs. Undertaker, and of course, the big one, John Cena vs. the Rock.  Three main events on one night, and for two Superstars the caliber of Orton and Kane, they should have no problem making it four.

But, what does this possible match-up mean for both Orton and Kane?

Orton, who has the ability to rise to the occasion whenever the moment calls for it, has not been on that big-time main event level for a while now.  With that being the case, this could just be his way back up the ladder to the top of Friday Night SmackDown, and the company itself.

In other words, Randy will likely just be Randy, and it will be another day at the office.

For the Big Red Monster, however, the magic 8 ball says “outlook not so good.”

His feud with John Cena was well done on many levels.  His constant mind games against Cena brought out some very aggressive tendencies that we have not seen in John since his heel days.  

This was, according to many fans, a bit of foreshadowing on a heel turn that could happen after he faces Rocky at WrestleMania.

Whether that much is true is anyone’s guess, but the feud accomplished its purpose, namely causing fans to ask questions, mainly about the seeds of self-doubt that were perhaps sewn in John during the past couple of months.

Okay, it ended in a train wreck, with Kane losing to Superman, and the big Boy Scout apparently never felt a thing.  Don't remind me.

But, whatever work was done, either eventually substantial, or ultimately irrelevant, is over now.  John has moved on to his match with Rock, and Kane has went from facing WWE’s top dog in an onslaught of psychological warfare, to picking a fight with Orton, when he has no real reason to.

Will this possible match end with Kane on his back, doing the job once again?

Is his seemingly recent role as an enhancement talent, a guy who puts over the big names, going to continue, or will he conquer the Viper in the end?

All of this could have been drastically different, if WWE had decided to not pair Triple H with Undertaker in the Cell.  

The match could have pitted Taker against his “brother” Kane, and though we have seen that before, there would arguably have been much more drama in that bout than the one that we potentially see now.  

Wouldn't we be a little more excited about Taker and Kane, with the streak on the line?

For that matter, why would any of us care about Kane vs. Orton, in the first place?  After all, Kane did lose to Cena, and Randy has gotten the better of Wade lately. Where is the drama here?

None of this matters, of course, because as I said before, WWE creative can make you crazy.  Once the wheels are set in motion, and it looks like they are, then there's not much that's going to stop them.

Wonder how this column's opening conversation ended?  Glad you asked.

“Oh, yeah, Kane?”

“Yeah?”

“Randy’s going over; we’ll find something else for you to do after that.”

“Um, yeah.  Okay, you’re the boss.”

Shut up, you weren’t there.