Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton: The Good, Bad and Ugly of Current WWE Feud

In the early stages of WWE's buildup to SummerSlam for Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton, some of the wood is already splintered.

The big-time matchup of marquee stars has loads of potential. It's a fresh pairing of top-flight performers and a smart usage of both men. Issues with schedule and aura, though, threaten to hurt the hype surrounding the SummerSlam bout. 

Major questions linger ahead of the next chapters of Lesnar vs. Orton.

How much will The Beast Incarnate be around? Is Lesnar's manager, Paul Heyman, going to be a part of the fun? And is WWE going to continue to present Orton as a sly trash-talker, or will it revert him to his predator ways?

Let's dive in and examine what's clicking and what's holding back this rivalry while keeping an eye on what's ahead.

The Good

It's not often that WWE can put together a clash with as much star power as Lesnar vs. Orton.

Both men are surefire Hall of Famers when they hang up their boots. Both men have been world champion several times over. Pitting them against each other under the bright spotlight of SummerSlam is a no-brainer.

This match also helps balance out the riskier booking moves of putting Finn Balor and Dolph Ziggler in the two title matches. With those bouts, WWE is banking on what those men could be. With Lesnar and Orton, the company is fitting two premier puzzle pieces together.

Orton's stated reasoning behind challenging The Beast Incarnate is sound.

He told Chris Jericho at Battleground that he wanted to make a statement upon returning from injury. It sounded as if he viewed Lesnar as the biggest, baddest beast in the land, and he wants to see if he can nail his head on the wall as a trophy.

Orton is out to prove himself. That's as simple a motivation as there is. 

There are sure to be added personal issues beyond that, but The Viper's desire to see how he stacks up against WWE's alpha male is a strong foundation to build on.

The Bad

Orton and Lesnar will exist on two different planes ahead of SummerSlam.

Raw drafted Lesnar; SmackDown selected The Viper in the July 19 draft. That leaves both men on two different brands with no chance of staring each other down or brawling in the stands. 

WWE can still build up the bout with things set up this way, but how much will we see of The Beast Incarnate? His part-time status means WWE has to choose his dates wisely. And none of his appearances can be wasted.

The company has often countered that issue by having Heyman speak for him, stepping up in his absence and selling fans on whatever fight Lesnar has ahead. 

Heyman, though, may not be around, either. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc.'s Akhilesh Gannavarapu), Heyman's contract has expired, and he and WWE have yet to reach an agreement on a new deal.

If that gets resolved quickly, Heyman can get back to spitting fire on the microphone in a hurry. Otherwise, WWE will have a Heyman-sized hole in the build for this match. 

As for Orton, he's more available, but WWE has to change how it presents him.

In his two appearances since returning from shoulder surgery, he has been a wisecracking babyface armed with zingers. He's more often worn a smile than a sneer. That's an ill-fitting role for him.

To get the audience psyched about his showdown, he needs to grow more intense and violent as soon as possible.

The Ugly

Lesnar came out of UFC 200 with armfuls of momentum, having accomplished a stunning feat. The powerhouse stepped back into the Octagon after a five-year absence and defeated a top-10 heavyweight.

But that's no longer the narrative.

Word broke on a potential doping violation, per a UFC statement (h/t SportsCenter). Then the accusations doubled.

ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto reported the United States Anti-Doping Agency told the UFC that Lesnar had failed a second drug test. Okamoto wrote, "A source told ESPN that the flagged substance is clomiphene, the same anti-estrogen blocker for which Jon Jones tested positive."

Suddenly, all the buzz Lesnar's UFC comeback generated turned hollow. The mainstream press WWE was hoping to get en route to SummerSlam thanks to that fight has turned into scrutiny.

WWE has not punished Lesnar for the violation. That has some crying hypocrisy. That's the conversation surrounding Lesnar, not how much of a legit badass he is.

The company has tried to weave that reality into this rivalry's storyline. Orton took a shot at Lesnar at Battleground, saying that he could drop Lesnar with "no enhancement needed."

The issue with that, though, is it loses its effectiveness considering WWE has twice suspended Orton for violating its own drug policy. 

Projections

WWE will rely on the star power of Lesnar vs. Orton rather than add subplots.

With the two rivals on different brands, there will be little to no interaction between them until the big day. Balor vs. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs. Ziggler will get the boost of developed storylines. The Viper's clash with Lesnar, meanwhile, will simply be a meeting of two titans, with minimal narrative beyond that.

The concept of the bout and the names involved are selling points on their own.

Orton will get a chance to be dominant ahead of SummerSlam. He can't keep joking around and grinning. That's going against the grain.

WWE will let him loose, Orton firing off RKOs on SmackDown's low-rung stars.

And at SummerSlam, these two will deliver in a major way. The Beast Incarnate has produced stellar work just about every time out. Orton will be well-rested and hungry to keep himself in the conversation with there being so much buzz about the up-and-comers heading the New Era.

Lesnar vs. Orton won't be a narrative masterpiece, but the violence part of the equation will be plenty entertaining.