Why Randy Orton Shouldn't Win the Six-Pack Challenge

Undoubtedly, Randy Orton is the most over wrestler in the wrestling industry today. John Cena is still the face of the company and may get the loudest reaction by the combination of cheers and jeers, but nobody is receiving a greater face pop today than the Viper.

Sunday at Night of Champions, Orton’s chase for the WWE Championship continues as part of the Six-Pack Challenge where reigning title holder Sheamus will try to fend off five of Raw’s biggest threats. For the last few weeks, Orton has been booked stronger than any competitor in the match, RKO-ing anybody that steps in his path.

This is exactly why Orton should NOT win the main event bout at Night of Champions and should NOT grab hold of the top gold belt this Sunday.

When you have a character as popular as Orton has become, it’s logical to get him into the title scene, even the title match and eventually let him have a good long run with as champion. It’s also important, though, for that title victory to feel important and satisfying. Right now, Orton has not had a suitable foil since turning face at Wrestlemania. He ran through his Legacy lackys, and Sheamus has been running scared from him since the two first locked horns earlier this summer.

If Orton were to win the title at Night of Champions as part of a mess of a multi-man match that didn’t solely focus on him and another opponent, the impact of the victory would be lost. It would just be another title win for Orton has had already had numerous in his career. This would be his first as a face, the top face in the company, and if his run is successful, we want to be able to vividly recall the night Orton became the face of the franchise. When clustered with Edge, Jericho, Cena, Sheamus and Barrett, that wouldn’t be the case.

I’m going to steal this storyline suggestion from a writer at my favorite wrestling website 411mania.com, even though it probably a fairly popular speculation.

Breaking down the Six-Pack Challenge:

Sheamus – As champion, that means the “odds are stacked against him.” Sheamus has played up this fact during the last few weeks. Big multi-man matches like these are always a good way to get the belt off somebody that they want to keep strong while not doing too much damage. The explanation that the main event was unfair works well and allows the heel to keep his heat.

John Cena – Clearly one of the favorites, because if the belt were to come off Sheamus, it would logically going to a face. You can never rule out a Cena title victory, so I’d say odds are decent that he wins.

Wade Barrett – This entry makes me the most furious of all the contestant. Barrett’s placement in this match spits in the face of the NXT Champion stipulation that earned him a shot at a championship on PPV. Barrett should have milked this, much like the Money in the Bank briefcase, and challenged for a 1-on-1 shot when he was property built. Unfortunately, his place in this match is a throwaway that could have been better used on somebody like John Morrison that could have at least contributed a few high spots to energize the match that will likely be quite plodding otherwise.

Chris Jericho and Edge – I’ll pair these guys together because they are essentially the same character at this point. They are two big names, great in-ring performers that don’t have a storyline, so they get tossed into this match where they can hit a few signature spots and likely spend the rest of the match eating Attitude Adjustments, RKOs and Brogue Kicks only to lay outside the ring. Chances are, one of these two will also be on the receiving end of the final pinfall.

Randal K. Orton – Here is man that everybody wants to win, but shouldn’t, for all of the reasons expressed above.

As the 411mania writer Ronny Sarnecky penned, chances are, The Miz will lose his U.S. Championship to Bryan Daniel earlier in the night. Unless the match goes to a DQ, there is no reason for Miz to win this match as Bryan needs the rub and is hot right now while Miz won’t lose much steam considering the briefcase is still in his hand. Speculation is that at the closure of the Six-Pack Challenge, whoever the champion may be at that point in time, for the sake of argument, John Cena, will get a briefcase between the eyes, maybe even a Skull-Crushing Finale before Miz walks out WWE Champion.

As a follow-up, we would have a short, fun Cena-Miz feud that would likely end in Cena winning the belt a month later at Hell in the Cell. Meanwhile, Orton can feud with Edge or Sheamus over the spot as No. 1 contender. We are running up into back-to-back PPVs where Orton can be pulled into mult-man tag matches in Bragging Rights and Survivor Series.

If you haven’t gotten the point yet, the goal is to keep Orton away from the belt (and away from John Cena) until the Royal Rumble where he can ultimately have his Stone Cold moment, winning the Rumble Match and punching his ticket to Wrestlemania.

Orton is white hot at the moment and he can draw without the belt. A screwy finish at Night of Champions, victory in a brutal brawl at Hell in the Cell against Sheamus, headed into a place in the Bragging Rights main event and another big tag at Survivor Series will keep him drawing the molten pops from the crowd until he wins that Rumble match.

Apologies for this column devolving too far into fantasy booking, but I felt a scenario such as the one outlined above would best exhibit the benefit of continuing the chase and making Orton eventual first title victory as a face feel important.