With Wrestlemania upon us and the chances being that Orton won't be WWE champ after it,i'd just like to get TWO's opinion on Ortons reign as champ.

 

For his first few weeks as champion he was getting booked like a jobber he was losing to HBK and HHH for no reason,but then around Survivor Series they were booking him properly-since that he's been fantastic IMO.

 

His promos,his presence and his matches have all improved and i think that he's found his main event status or being in the top tier of WWE if you will,i think that he's put the mid-card behind him and even though he doesn't have status of a HHH or a HBK he's really been solid since they put the belt on him.I just hope that he can continue this after Mania.

 

But they're just my opinions,what about yours?

I think he's been a good champion. He has also played the heel champion role well, which isnt always easy to do. Opinion is probably divided on his Title reign but he has brung in the ratings for the networks which can only be a good thing. I think after Cena's year long reign it needed something fresh and i think Orton's reign has done that.

He's actually grown on me quite a bit. The start to his reign was terrible, but that was the WWE jobbing him out to Michaels every week. He just looked like a weak champion.

 

His Jericho feud didn't hurt but didn't really help. JBL rescuing him from the Walls of Jericho continued to make him look weak.

 

All the Cena/Hardy stuff was much better and the build to Mania has been fine for Randy so far.

 

In December, I'd have said putting the belt on him was a mistake. Now I realize it wasn't only Orton, it was the booking too. Orton has also stepped up in the last few months and lifted his game. Right now, I think he's a good heel champion.

 

Now all they need to do is stop booking Edge as SO weak. I get that he's the sneaky cheating heel but that should always be caveatted by "who cheats to win, but doesn't really need to". Cheating should like a shortcut or a desperation measure, not the only path you can choose. Currently, Edge just looks desperate all the time and that's a bad thing.

I've not really paid too much attention to much of anything WWE have put out in ages. One thing I have noticed though, is that Orton still cant cut a promo.

He's still got alot of improving to do and i can't see his title reign being one thats remembered too well. He could have done with a proper feud as i felt his feuds with Cena, Triple H, HBK, Hardy and Jericho were all cut very short, and didn't really elevate him, and now his mania feud is complelty overshadowed by Cena and Trips

Whilst everything bar the Jeff Hardy rumble match/feud hasn't been booked right, Orton has done really well, he's been a breath of fresh air after Cena's 200 year long (seemingly) title reign which got more boring and repetitive every month. Orton's got more interesting each month and really, he deserve the Mania win WAY more than the other two, but he's not even being booked like he's in the match so it's a bad end to his reign

Anyone after a year of Cena would have been a breath of fresh air. It's true at the start Orton looked terrible and I thought he would be the worst champ ever but he has come into his own just a little too late.

 

Belty is right he can't cut a promo to save his life.

I am not so sure WWE will take the belt off him at Mania either. Beating HHH and Cena in the same match could be exactly the kind of big push Orton needs as champion.

To be fair WWE could do one HUGE swerve by having Orton win, he's hardly featured in the storyline, so having him win would be like him stepping up

Nah Triple H is winning the match. He needs to get 4 more title reigns in before his quads pack in all together to match Flairs record of 16, he can't risk not getting number 13 in at Mania :lol

 

As for Orton I think the damage done to his reign by the early booking of him, losing to HHH on the PPV he was handed the title then only winning it back after HHH had been weakened by Umaga, then getting knocked out to end every show for over a month by Michaels did too much damage to him for me to take him seriously

 

He has gone a little way in recent times to restoring himself as the champion but as I said the early booking was too bad for him to be seen as a good strong credibly champ later in his raign

Nah Triple H is winning the match. He needs to get 4 more title reigns in before his quads pack in all together to match Flairs record of 16, he can't risk not getting number 13 in at Mania :lol

 

As for Orton I think the damage done to his reign by the early booking of him, losing to HHH on the PPV he was handed the title then only winning it back after HHH had been weakened by Umaga, then getting knocked out to end every show for over a month by Michaels did too much damage to him for me to take him seriously

 

He has gone a little way in recent times to restoring himself as the champion but as I said the early booking was too bad for him to be seen as a good strong credibly champ later in his raign

 

I laughed at that because I believe it's probably true. As if winning more titles than Flair would ever mean anything, given the way they treat the titles nowadays. Well, there's 2 World Titles in the same company for a start, so he's bound to reach it eventually.

When he's "on" as a heel, there isn't many better in the business at the moment. His feud with Cena was rolling along nicely, as was his "punting" gimmick. He lost it for a while (mainly due to HBK kicking him for a month straight), but he showed that magic again in his No Way Out match with Cena during the finish.

 

The way he looked at Cena, slapped the ref and then looked back at Cena was brilliantly done. That was being a great heel champion IMO.

When he's "on" as a heel, there isn't many better in the business at the moment. His feud with Cena was rolling along nicely, as was his "punting" gimmick. He lost it for a while (mainly due to HBK kicking him for a month straight), but he showed that magic again in his No Way Out match with Cena during the finish.

 

The way he looked at Cena, slapped the ref and then looked back at Cena was brilliantly done. That was being a great heel champion IMO.

 

Agreed, that finish was heelishness personified :)

 

People really hated him for it, and that's what a good heel should do. Even though I hate non-finishes, that was exactly what a slippery heel like Orton is supposed to do.

When he's "on" as a heel, there isn't many better in the business at the moment. His feud with Cena was rolling along nicely, as was his "punting" gimmick. He lost it for a while (mainly due to HBK kicking him for a month straight), but he showed that magic again in his No Way Out match with Cena during the finish.

 

The way he looked at Cena, slapped the ref and then looked back at Cena was brilliantly done. That was being a great heel champion IMO.

 

Not on the level of the fingerpoke, but yeah. That was great.

I cannot understand why so many people do not think that Orton can cut a promo. I believe he is the total package myself. He has quickly become one of my favorite workers in the WWE because I love his swagger and the way he has improved in the ring. He used to use the chinlock all the time, but he does not seem to do that anymore. I never really had a problem with it anyway, though.

 

Anyway, before my rambling, I came in here to say that I have enjoyed Orton's title reign (Especially during the feud with Jeff Hardy) and I would not mind seeing it continue, but I do not see Orton winning at WrestleMania. However, it is certainly a possiblity.

I think Randy's title reign was great, he's had some nice feuds, even though I think the Jericho/Orton feud wasn't done properly and could have been so much better, but the Hardy/Orton feud was enjoyable. I know he's not great at cutting a promo, but he's better than others, he's not that bad. He's an awesome heel. I pretty much guaran-damn-tee HHH will walk out as the champion, but I know the only outcome I want to see is Randy walking away still your WWE Champion.