Time To Give The Viper Some Credit!

I have been rather hard on The Viper in the last few articles, mixing some personal thoughts with what has been reported around the web. After last night's edition of RAW (6-7-2010), I must give credit where it is due.

Randy Orton did some amazing work on the program, cementing in my mind the idea that despite anything going on in his life, he is one of the best workers in the business. No doubt, the man has a lingering injury. Sure, it might not be as bad as the WWE is playing up, but I imagine the man has been in some pain since the injury first happened.

Instead of taking time off or stepping back from doing anything physical in fear of hurting himself further, Orton has gone full throttle in his current angle with Edge. In fact, if you watched the entire three hours of RAW, the Orton/Edge angle was one of the few stories that actually had progression. This idea of Edge continuously taking Orton out with vicious attacks work wonders for both men. It gives Edge all the heat he needs and puts Orton over even more as a sympathetic face. The moment when he removes that cast and goes full force on Edge will end up blowing the roof off of the arena. When that will happen (RAW next week, Fatal 4 Way, or a later date) remains to be seen, but I do think it will be quite a moment.

I also think Orton has some of the best facial expressions and selling in the business today. When he actually takes the mic, he makes his point simple and clear. But he doesn't really need to speak. His face speaks volumes. And when he is involved in any physical altercation, I praise the way he sells being hurt. When Edge used the chair on RAW twice, I could almost feel the pain Orton was in. He was that believable during the segment.

Everything seems to be up in the air right now. Will he be on RAW next week? Was the Edge attack on RAW done in order to pull him from the PPV or will he compete? And what happens once he is medically cleared to do so? We all know he will eventually need surgery but I am hoping that it is one of those surgeries that could happen in the future because the man is too hot right now to step away from the scene for any period of time.

I always seem to have a love/hate relationship with the guy when it comes to his character both in and out of the ring and I sometimes question WWE booking when he is concerned. But again, credit must be given when it is due. And this week, I definitely agree with what many on the net say about the guy.