Randy Orton has played with our emotions like the maestro he is. From his face turn, to becoming a heel once again after attacking Edge, he’s pulled he WWE Universe into his character, but is Randy Orton’s current gimmick going too far?
Great heel, poor execution
There’s no denying Orton’s a great heel. He’s able to draw us in with just a look, making him one of the few capable of doing so in the WWE. It’s what makes him great, but it’s also something that can be too heavily relied on.
Double crosses are a way of life in professional wrestling storylines. It’s a tried and proven method of getting fans involved and it works every time. The proof is in when Orton comes out to a chorus of boos. He’s so over as a heel it’s ridiculous how easy he made it look. But his prolonged attack on Edge and then Matt Hardy were ridiculous.
Not too long ago, after someone like Edge or Matt were attacked, officials and wrestlers would immediately come out to stop Orton and would resemble reality when there are officials like police or others around when someone’s attacked.
Instead, in Vince McMahon’s reality (something Jim Cornette pointed out), no one came out to help. Ortin was allowed to set up chairs, study what he did, and set up more for Edge. For Matt Hardy, two officials came out.
TWO! That’s it. And they just sat there as Orton tore apart the metal steps to do more damage to Matt. Still, no one else came out.
Setting an bad precedent
While Orton is selling the crap out of his gimmick, the fact he was allowed to attack, stalk, and attack his prey over and over. It plays to the fear of being cut off from help. It’d make sense if they were legitimately cut off.
Orton has no one keeping the others backstage except for McMahon, and that’s pushing the subtle idea that help won’t come. In a society where we’ve been treating one another as less than human more frequently and openly over a difference in opinion and people are afraid of being attacked. If those we look at as heroes in the ring won’t help out someone, how will that translate to real life for people?
Sure, this may be over-reaching and it doesn’t mean a thing, but the fact the WWE has pushed the idea their wrestlers are superheroes and villains makes hits a dangerous/interesting angle.
Also, Orton’s persona appears to be having some kind of mental disorder like schizophrenia or something similar where he’s hearing voices.
Wrestling has used this before with differed gimmicks, so there it appears they’re using the angle that Orton isn’t responsible for what he’s done. He’s tried to stop himself, but hasn’t been able to.
While professional wrestling has long played into reality for character and storyline ideas, this could be one that’s pushing the boundaries like never before. It would’ve worked so much better had Orton taken out a few security guards before they were able to overwhelm him and force him away from Edge or Matt. Instead, we’re given the impression that no one (especially those in authority) will help when someone losses it and puts others in trouble.
This storyline has the potential to be great, but we need some form of realism in it.
Is Randy Orton’s current gimmick going too far, or is this McMahon’s way of skating around the PG rating? Let us know what you think in the comments section. We’d love to hear from you.
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