Randy Orton: Analyzing His Use and Future Prospects on WWE SmackDown Live

Randy Orton is a future Hall of Famer in World Wrestling Entertainment, a Superstar who made good on his destiny to become one of the greatest performers of his generation.

Yet as he is now closer to the end of his career than the beginning, it appears as though his star has been somewhat diminished.

Yes, the man who was consistently atop the WWE roster for the better part of a decade has seen his status as one of the elite stars in the company diminished by injuries, vacation and a new crop of athletes destined to carry the company on their backs—just as Orton did for the last 10-plus years.

Where does that leave Orton, someone who still demands attention from the audience and whose popularity is never in doubt?

The answer is not readily apparent.

Name Recognition

Orton's name carries a great deal of credibility.

A 12-time world champion in WWE, he has battled and beaten every major Superstar who has come through the promotion during his time there. He has headlined WrestleMania, earned fans' respect with bloody battles against Mick Foley and proved himself essential to WWE's marketing and merchandising efforts.

It is because of his name recognition that he was able to come off the sidelines after nearly one year away and be thrust into the SummerSlam main event against Brock Lesnar. It is also the reason he was assigned to the SmackDown brand.

Though the blue roster may feature young talent straight out of NXT, he—along with John Cena—is the proven commodity. He is an attraction in that fans know him, trust him and will spend money to see him perform.

As we have seen lately, though, Orton may not have the trust of WWE Creative.

Creative Potential

Ignore the fact that Orton's Viper character has been essentially the same for the last five years. Instead, focus on the way WWE's writing staff has treated him to this point.

In the weeks prior to SummerSlam, Orton was almost an afterthought, a guy with name value brought in to sacrifice to Lesnar. Other than one memorable RKO, he was never presented as someone with a legitimate shot at defeating The Beast.

Coming out of that, he was booked in a feud with Bray Wyatt that, to this point, has been underwhelming. A lack of foundation and advancement has left it muddled in mediocrity. Worse yet, it has not effectively made use of Orton's value.

It is not being presented as a credible main event program. Instead, it has often felt like the fourth- or fifth-most important feud on the show.

The use of Orton as a veteran midcard star to work with younger, up-and-coming stars may bode well for the future, but it wastes The Viper's value in what could be the last few great years of his career. Then again, injuries have plagued Orton and left him sidelined, leaving WWE Creative less comfortable pushing him in any marquee stories.

The greatest attribute any performer in WWE can have is availability, and unfortunately for Orton, his availability has been severely limited in recent years, hurting the likelihood that he will be shoved into any long-running story in which his presence would be essential to the conclusion of the program.

Looking Toward the Future

With AJ Styles enjoying one of the greatest years in WWE history, The Miz becoming a breakout star for the second time in his career and Dean Ambrose still roaming the roster as its No. 1 draft pick and, for the time being, its top babyface, there is still room for Orton to make a splash at the top of the card.

He is still a respected veteran, he still has incredible presence and he can still hang with any wrestler of any style on the lineup.

Yet unreliability hangs over his career like a dark cloud.

Too many absences and too many injuries have made it difficult for him to build any momentum for himself or the Superstars involved in his programs. Most recently, a big pay-per-view showdown with Bray Wyatt had to be cancelled because Orton was not cleared to compete.

Orton will continue to be presented as one of the faces of SmackDown, but there is no denying that his star power has diminished significantly. No longer a bona fide main event talent such as Cena and Styles, a comparison to Chris Jericho is more favorable.

A veteran and a great hand, he could remain a focal point on SmackDown without an overwhelming push.

He will eventually battle for the WWE World Championship, but Orton's days as the guy are over.