WWE Smackdown: Will Randy Orton Ever Lose His Top Spot on Smackdown?

Randy Orton, full-time WWE main eventer and part-time crazy person (on and off- screen) has been a staple of the WWE main event scene for the last few years.

As a litany of other high-profile names have either left or retired due to either injuries (Edge, The Undertaker), career frustration (Matt Hardy, MVP), a wish to pursue a career in showbiz (Jericho) or because they were just plain burn out (Batista); Orton and Cena have stayed steadfastly with the company and been the recipients of multiple title reigns as a result.

Orton, believe it or not, won a world title for the ninth time at the Summerslam pay-per-view when he defeated long-term foe Christian in a No Holds Barred match.

In fact, both have become so over-exposed that many fans have grown to resent the duo, feeling that WWE management are so enamoured with them that it's becoming increasingly difficult for any new stars to break through the glass ceiling and get over.

Christian, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and John Morrison are just a few such names.

Looking at all the botched pushes over the past few years, this is a more than valid complaint.

Frankly, it's questionable how smart that all this overexposure really is, especially considering how injury-prone both Cena and Orton have been in the past.

Orton, for instance, has had serious shoulder issues for years, while Cena has been battling serious neck and back issues in the last two.

While both are still fairly young, of course, the notoriously tough WWE schedule is already taking a toll on both of them. Sacrificing every up-and-coming name to get each man over, despite the fact that neither really needs it at this point, seems to be extremely unwise.

But how firmly established is Orton's position in WWE, and will he ever lose his top spot on Smackdown?

While we can never know these things for sure, and a bust-up with management at some point in the future is certainly not out of the question, I would say that he's pretty firmly embedded as the main star of Smackdown.

However, there are some issues that could arise in Orton's future that could possibly threaten his position as one of the WWE's golden boys.

It's very possible that Orton, like Dave Batista and Chris Jericho before him, could decide he's had enough of the rough and gruelling WWE road schedule and decide to pursue a movie career.

Orton, of course, had a small but memorable role in the WWE flick That's What I Am.

From what he's indicated in interviews, he seemed to highly enjoy the experience. “I'll go to the papers if I have to!” his character growled at some poor teacher. (Spoiler: He never actually went to the papers, in what is surely another example of WWE false advertising.)

It's also worth noting that Orton doesn’t seem to have the same die-hard loyalty that other main event wrestlers like Triple H, The Miz and John Cena do. As a result, I could easily see him deciding he's had enough of the travel schedule and deciding to do something else with his life.

Of course, Randy would be smart to take note of his peers who have tried to make it in movies and television, but who certainly didn't come close to emulating the success of The Rock. (Batista starred in a few awful straight-to-DVD flicks, while Jericho had a middling stint on Dancing with the Stars.)

Certainly, the regular income of a top WWE superstar is far more preferable to a man with a family, like Orton, than the unreliable and sporadic work in Hollywood that most wrestlers-turned-actors encounter.

He may, like Rey Mysterio, encounter problems with WWE management over his busy schedule or his money. This could result in him possibly being demoted or leaving the company, like Rey has reportedly threatened to do on numerous occasions.

Or, as noted, he could simply get burned out by the schedule and choose an early retirement if not a much lighter schedule.

Mysterio has also been plagued by numerous injuries over the years. He is in fact currently out of action, taking time off from WWE because he needs knee surgery.

While Orton isn't nearly as much of a wreck as Rey is right now, he has indeed had his fair share of shoulder problems and surgeries. It's very possible, and maybe even likely, that as time goes on and the injuries pile up, he'll want a lighter schedule too.

That said, while all of the above are certain possibilities, I wouldn’t expect any of them to happen. Orton has had a relatively smooth relationship with management in recent times and there have been very few indications that he’s unhappy.

Indeed, it seems to me that Orton will have a tightly-secured top spot on Smackdown for as long as he wants it. This may be good news for him, but maybe not for an upper-card full of young guys desperately trying to break through the glass ceiling, and fans who are eager for some fresh faces on top.