An open letter to "The Viper" Randy Orton
Dear Randy,
Thanks for allowing us to deliver this letter in person – although we fear that upon entering the premises we’re going to see dozens upon dozens of self-portraits of yourself. That being said, it’s great to speak to a third generation Superstar who has managed to keep his feet firmly on the ground and remain humble throughout his career.
Oh wait, sorry, that last part was meant to be in Bray’s letter.
So with all the format chit-chat out of the way, let’s get down to business – and we’re going to try and get through this without crying. Many a moon ago, you started out your career as a cocky yet determined youngster, ready to break into the business that had been in your family for decades on end.
Things went fairly well to start with, as you thrust yourself into a strong position with Evolution before transitioning into a singles Superstar. After winning the Intercontinental Championship, you went on to headline multiple main events and win many titles following your inaugural triumph over Chris Benoit at SummerSlam 2004.
You’re probably wondering why we’re telling you all of this when in reality you already know the answer to that question. You see, Randy, you clearly seem to have experienced some kind of identity crisis over the last stretch of your career – and no, we aren’t talking about your entry into The Wyatt Family because that was bloody fantastic. Although we don’t want to hear what you had to do for your initiation.
Also read: 5 Reasons why Randy Orton deserved to lose the WWE title
Around late 2009 to early 2010, your character started to diminish in terms of both popularity and versatility. The Legend Killer was great, The Viper was great, but The Apex Predator was about as exhilarating as watching someone attempt to tie their shoelaces.
That burning desire and passion within you dissipated in a matter of months, and we’re desperately trying to put our finger on why it happened. Part of us wants to believe that you’re still fighting for justice behind the scenes, but the more likely conclusion that we’ve come to is that Vince McMahon scientifically manipulated your mind into believing that everything he said was final.
Because really, that’s the only way to describe your behaviour since 2010. You used to have The Punt, but that was taken away. You used to cut imaginative and thought provoking promos, but they were taken away. You used to wear elbow pads to the ring, but they were taken away. All of these things are equally as important as the other, and yes, we’re serious about that last one.
Your character is your lifeblood, and you shouldn’t need us, a bunch of smarks, to tell you that. At the end of the day you’re an incredibly capable wrestler, but in the present day, there’s an almighty different between being ‘capable’ and being world class. In 2017, in WWE’s new landscape, we’re not so sure that you fall into that category.
Take your recent rant against the independent scene as a shining example. After a few beers, you seemed to think it was necessary to take a big dump on the men and women who work equally as hard as the WWE guys to make a living in this industry. Why?
Because you’ve been programmed into thinking that way. You, as a performer, are on an utterly ridiculous wage as highlighted by the fact that you used the Twitter war to point out how much you make. That’s not the sign of someone who wants to keep making a difference: that’s the sign of someone who is way too comfortable and is continually seen as the ‘easy’ option.
We know it, and you know it. Putting the title on you has become the safe bet, which is probably the only reason why you beat Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33. The reason certainly can’t be that you deserved the win because burning down your competitor’s house is usually seen as a criminal offence as opposed to a reward.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with your style of wrestling – as long as you pick it up and drop it back in 2009. Now, eight years later, the bar has been raised to heights that the WWE Universe could never have imagined.
Fans have fallen into a routine of praising your matches because it’s the seemingly obvious thing to do when in reality they are so contrived and played out that it makes Del Rio’s corner stomp finisher look world class.
We just want to see more from you, Randy, and while we know we aren’t your life coaches we do think it’s something you should take into consideration. We want to see you go the extra mile, and in some ways, we do indeed mean that we’d like to witness you punting people in the head on a regular basis.
Veterans enjoy riding their past successes all the way to the bank, but you should still be reaching for more Randy. So do it.
Send us news tips at fightclub@sportskeeda.com