What Is The Randy Orton Problem?

Many fans in the WWE Universe and especially the Internet wrestling community have been grumbling for over a year now about how The Viper, Randy Orton, is booked on WWE television. Whether it be defeats at pay per view events or feuds that lack importance, everyone seems to agree that when it comes to Orton, WWE could be doing a much better job. 

Even when he seems to dominate Monday Night Raw, delivering at times three or four RKO's to various opponents, things always go downhill by the time a monthly pay per view rolls around. The question becomes, what is the Randy Orton problem?

We can come up with a few possible explanations, any of which you could take with merit or dismiss as being ridiculous. The choice is yours.

Problem #1: Randy Orton has a serious issue with injuries. 2010, especially in the spring/summer has been tough for The Viper. His neck and shoulder problems seem to come and go, and this could be the reason why WWE is hesitant to put a championship on him or give him that top spot in the company, regardless of popularity.

Problem #2: Higher ups in the WWE, specifically HHH, who is now an executive and working right under Vince McMahon have never been high on Orton, giving him the opportunity to shine just enough to make fans happy but never enough to really be a star. 

Problem #3: WWE is working very hard these days on establishing the next generation. Superstars like Sheamus, The Miz, and Daniel Bryan are seen as the future of the company, and with that, veterans such as Randy Orton must deal with playing second fiddle. The irony in this is that Orton himself is only 30 years old, and some would say that he has at least another decade ahead of him. He might be a veteran of the squared circle, but not in the same way as HHH or The Undertaker, taking into account age, injuries, and exposure in the company.

Problem #4: Randy Orton has a history of being, for lack of a better word, a jerk. Granted, folks have said that the man has turned a corner ever since he got married and started a family, but perhaps the company is always a bit worried that he will go off the deep end and shy away from the PG image they are trying to put forward. He might not be trashing hotel rooms these days but he still has moments where his attitude gets the better of him. Prime examples of this occur when an opponent performs poorly in the ring and Orton seems to show his annoyance in public.

Problem #5: Randy Orton shouldn't be a face. This is something people will continue to debate for as long as "face" Orton lasts. I use quotes because everyone knows Orton is more of a "tweener" in the same way Steve Austin was as opposed to a full on face the way John Cena is. Perhaps his problem is that he is too good a heel and when he is a face, he will always play second, third, or even fourth fiddle to superstars like Cena, HHH, and The Undertaker.

Problem #6: Is being too over a problem? No one can deny that Orton is having the best time in his career right now when it comes to how the audience sees him. He routinely achieves a better reaction than the main face of the WWE, John Cena. But has the WWE dropped the ball with putting him over by not going all the way and giving him a championship but instead, having him within grasp of it month after month to only come up short. It is a pretty big testament to his popularity that he could remain as over as he is without winning any major matches at all in 2010 other than a triple threat victory at Wrestlemania.

I have written out six possible explanations to try and come up with Randy Orton's problem. I ask the members of The Bleacher Report to comment below to give their respective thoughts on the topic. Take the poll as well if you desire. :)