Randy Orton, The Viper vs The Rattlesnake
In one corner, we have Randy Orton, aka” The Viper”. And in the other corner is Stone Cold Steve Austin, also referred to as “The Rattlesnake” Two men who are very similar, especially at this point in Randy Orton’s career as his popularity continues to grow. But what else do these two men have in common? And more importantly what are the differences that separate them.
Randy Orton has spent much of his career thus far being a Heel. From his days as “The Legend Killer”, who enjoyed destroying retired veterans, and Hall Of Farmers, right up to his feud with the entire McMahon family, and John Cena, where his new moniker of “The Viper” was well suited for him, as he would strike at anyone who dared to get close to him. But then a strange thing happened, and no matter how bad Orton was, the fans loved it. He started to hear something different. He was being cheered. Fans were chanting RKO. And he has been getting bigger and bigger ovations whenever his music hits. But at heart he is still a Viper. Orton is a loner, and he prefers it that way. His attitude towards his fellow wrestlers is no different, as he will just as easily RKO somebody like Sheamus, as he will Evan Bourne.
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All this sounds very familiar doesn’t it? Stone Cold Steve Austin came into the WWE as “The Ringmaster” But he quickly shed that name, like a snake sheds its skin. His rise to fame of course began after winning the 1996 King Of The Ring. After losing to Austin, a defeated Jake Roberts was being helped to the back, when Austin uttered what would become the most famous catchphrase in Wrestling History; ” Austin 3:16 says, I just whooped your ass” But ”The Rattlesnake” was still considered a Heel at this point. The fans liked him, but it took one match in particular to turn things the other way. After a year long feud with Bret Hart, the two met in a match that helped to define Austins career. At Wrestlemania 13, the two waged war. The conclusion of the match saw Hart lock in The Sharpshooter on a bleeding Austin. Bret wouldn’t let go of the hold, and the Rattlesnake refused to give up, and eventually passed out. Later, Austin would also refuse any assistance going to the back. This was the beginning of Bret Harts run as a Heel, and Austins popularity shot through the roof. But what really cemented Austins run as arguably the most popular Wrestler in WWE History, was his feud with Vince McMahon. All through the many twists and turns that this war between the WWE owner, and The Rattlesnake took, Austin just became a bigger and bigger star.
So as you can see, the careers of these two men seem to have a lot in common. Both prefer to do their own thing, and neither one could ever really be trusted completely. One uses a stunner, the other a version of it called an RKO. They have also both used established good guys to build their own popularity. Austin used Bret Hart, and Orton used John Cena. And of course both have had problems with the McMahon family. Neither one would be considered a technical wrestler, as both prefer a ground and pound approach.
But what about the differences. There aren’t a lot of them, but they are certainly important. First and foremost, Steve Austin was great on the Mic. Whenever The Rattlesnake spoke, he had everyone’s attention. His famous “WHAT”? is still being used by crowds when trying to annoy somebody they don’t like who is cutting a promo. Randy Orton, is mostly referred to as “The Silent Assassin” His Mic skills are limited at best, and I seriously doubt he will come up with a catchphrase that will endure for years to come. The second thing however is something that still could happen. That thing is Steve Austins insane popularity. When I think about ovations, or what they refer to as the “Pop” of the crowd when a Wrestlers music hits, there are only three people that come to mind that ever got this kind of reaction. Steve Austin, The Rock, and Hulk Hogan (back in the 80′s) When The Rattlesnakes breaking glass hit, the roof of the arena would blow sky high. Even Triple H, and John Cena struggle to get crowd reactions as big as this. But Orton’s popularity is just starting to climb. Who knows how big he could be in another year or two. Or, like Austin, how much merchandise he could sell.
But for the sake of this head to head comparison, you have to give the edge to The Texas Rattlesnake. Orton is popular, but he has a long way to go before he can really be considered the second coming of Austin.
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