Randy Orton has remained a staple of WWE programming since 2002. He was promoted from OVW alongside Shelton Benjamin, John Cena, and Batista. They combined to be arguably the greatest class of WWE recruits in history. While some will disagree due to their wrestling acumen, their success in a WWE ring can’t be denied.
Benjamin was the Indy wrestler of the group. He was freakishly athletic and could perform any spot to perfection. Batista was the powerhouse. His stature and size dominated opponents, which is what made him a believable WWE champion. John Cena wasn’t the star he turned out to be in OVW. He also had a good size for a wrestler, but he didn’t show his charisma until later on. There’s no need going into what he has accomplished.
Then there’s Randy Orton. He’s a third-generation wrestler who has more natural skill than most of the superstars who have come along. Orton is smooth in the squared circle and has backed up the claim of being one of the greatest of all time. Unfortunately, in 2015, Orton sustained yet another injury to derail the progress he made to remain atop the WWE charts.
“‘Randy has suffered from a dislocated shoulder. He’s had chronic problems with his shoulder, and a recent MRI that was done found he has a Bankart lesion in his shoulder, some stretched ligaments and a partially torn rotator cuff,’ WWE physician Dr. Steve Daquino told WWE.com. ‘At this point it’s a matter of when he dislocates the shoulder again, and not if . Surgery seems imminent, and recovery time for such a surgery would be four to six months.’”
The chronic problems Orton lives with will remain a detriment to his wrestling career. Depending on his passion for the business, this injury could impact the rest of his WWE career. Orton has had a 13-year tenure with the company. It’s going to come to a time where Orton may retire due to injuries. Hopefully, that never happens. However, the possibility is always present.
In Orton and Cena’s absence, several WWE stars will step up and perform like they never have before. Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, and Tyler Breeze are three guys who have a rare opportunity to shine. Cesaro should be included, but everyone in the WWE Universe knows that probably isn’t going to happen.
The three aforementioned men are splendid performers and deserve the spotlight. Breeze and Ziggler’s feud has the potential to steal the show at each WWE event. Not many know how good Breeze really is. In WWE NXT, he was trusted with Jushin Thunder Liger’s debut in the WWE. He’s also in a good program with Samoa Joe right now. Not enough credit goes to Breeze’s in-ring ability.
According to a recent report by What Culture and F4WOnline.com , Brock Lesnar and John Cena will return at the end of December for a show at Madison Squared Garden on December 26. By that time, new stars should be developed. Orton, Cena, and Lesnar can’t carry the ratings, even though they are hot right now. Perhaps that’s the problem the WWE is facing at the moment. Not enough new stars were created.
The WWE fans want to see new things that are bright and different. Quite like Cesaro, the WWE needs people to be different and change everything. That’s what CM Punk did, and the ratings proved that. The WWE hasn’t had another form of CM Punk since Daniel Bryan ignited the WWE Universe on his run to WrestleMania 30 . While Orton is gone, the new crop of talent must step up.
[Image via wwe.com]