Why Randy? Now that’s an interesting question that many have asked, but for different reasons. While many will question it, and others will disagree with the theory I’m about to put forward, but there’s a legitimate reason for why the WWE put Randy Orton against Edge.
Randy Orton against Edge.
In a way, it feels wrong saying this given their history, but it makes sense given Edge’s injury history.
To be fair, when watching the attack (video below for convenience) it’s hard to think of it in those terms. But then again, this is professional wrestling and the outcomes are scripted.
Randy Orton is the safest option
Out of the entire WWE locker room, Randy Orton is the safest superstar to face Edge.
All we have to do is look up and down the WWE roster, and we’ll see wrestlers that depend on high impact moves, and high flying attacks.
Edge has proven time and again his fearlessness when it comes to what he’ll do in the ring, and if he’s matched up with anyone else, he’ll want to show what he’s capable of. It makes sense, given they ae trying to put the best performance as possible in the ring.
But given his previous injuries, it makes sense for them to give him someone grounded he can work with as well as put together an awesome match.
To that end, Randy Orton is a more grounded, old school technician in the vein of Triple H and Bret Hart. He’s also the best the WWE has at telling a story in the ring. While others like Brock Lesnar and Triple H are capable of doing much the same when given the chance to put on an actual match, Orton is the only one that fits so closely with Edge’s history to create a compelling storyline.
The names above are among the best when it comes to ring psychology. They are all from a time when putting on a great in-ring story was more important than video game based big matches, big moves, and high flying moves that do more to show a superstar’s ability to do them than tell a story.
Randy Orton is a clone of Triple H with some Ric Flair mixed in, and it shows in how he approaches matches and opponents. His intensity when it comes to doing it right rivals Flair and Triple H. A perfect example is when he gave Kofi Kingston grief ten years ago for messing up the finish of their match.
In short, Orton’s a perfectionist and the likely hood of Edge having a mishap in the ring is drastically lower than if he faced one of the high-fliers..
This isn’t a slight against the current crop of talent
The current talent is a different breed than what we used to see. And while they’re skilled in what they do, the focus has shifted to video game-like matches rather than storytelling. It’s a dynamic that’s turned off a lot of fans, and this is also a chance to draw them back in.
Basically, it is what it is.
After his feud with Orton comes to an end, Edge will probably face off with other old school minded individuals with impressive resumes behind them like AJ Styles, Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and even Brock Lesnar. He will probably be in tag team matches with Ricochet, the New Day, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, and others. But it’ll be telling who he actually takes hits from as that’ll gauge how comfortable he is with them and how good WWE medical feels about the risk factor.
At the end of the day, it’s about everyone putting on a great show and going home safe and sound. But to get it started, they have to rely on the Viper. Besides, can we ask for a better feud and match than Randy Orton against Edge?
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