WWE Over the Limit: Title Match Will Revive Randy Orton After Slow Start in 2012

There was, arguably, no WWE Superstar who enjoyed the success in 2011 that Randy Orton did.

The unquestioned face of the Smackdown brand for the entire year, Orton reigned as World Champion on two occasions, competed in a number of Match of the Year candidates with Christian and helped get Mark Henry over as the monster heel many had expected him to be for years.

Simply put, Orton was white hot in 2011.

Fast forward to May 2012, and it is arguable Randy Orton has never been less meaningful on WWE television. After returning from injury at the Royal Rumble, most expected the Viper to have a high-profile match at WrestleMania and continue his streak of phenomenal matches and quality storylines.

Instead, Orton was inserted into a program with Kane, which was the result of neither having anything better to do.

Forget the fact that the storyline was with a sluggish Kane, who was fresh off a months-long layoff and what can only be considered a critical bomb of a run with John Cena and Zack Ryder. 

Randy was essentially an afterthought in light of The Rock's return, the hype for Undertaker-Triple H III and the build up to CM Punk and Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship.

The match between Orton and Kane at WrestleMania XXVIII was the second of the show and suffered significantly from a lack of enthusiasm attributed to the 18-second loss by Daniel Bryan at the hands of Sheamus in the opener.

The crowd was not into the match they considered to be "thrown together," and many wondered why Randy was stuck in such a meaningless position.

The rematch, a Falls Count Anywhere match, occurred at Extreme Rules, and, while the quality was significantly improved from the month before, the feud still gained little traction with fans. Randy won the contest, and in the days since, he has seemingly put the Big Red Monster in his rear-view mirror.

On the May 7 edition of Raw, Randy was inserted into a Fatal Four-Way match for the World Heavyweight Championship at Over the Limit, a match that will feature challengers Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio and champion Sheamus.

The match is an important one for the third-generation Superstar, but not just because it is the return of Orton to the title picture on Smackdown.

Randy has reached a level of stardom where he does not need a championship around his waist to be important. Instead, the match is important because it means something.

It is a high-profile match, featuring four of the better workers in the company. It is a pay-per-view main event, and one that will have very high expectations, given the talent involved.

With it being relatively early in 2012, there is no reason to believe Randy cannot bounce back from what can only be considered a very disappointing first five months. If that is to happen, it will come with a strong performance in one of the three main events at Over the Limit.

Regardless if he wins, Randy will be looking to put the first five months of 2012 behind him and start fresh just as before summer gets into gear.