Randy Orton is the perfect first opponent for Edge (opinion)
At the conclusion of tonight’s RAW, Edge made his way to the ring to address his future after returning at the Royal Rumble. He was eventually interrupted by Randy Orton, who first wanted to reform Rated RKO, but eventually hit Edge with an RKO and a vicious Con-Chair-To. This was an amazing segment and Orton is the perfect first opponent for Edge.
First, while a younger talent would have benefited much more from ruining Edge’s homecoming, Orton made sense from a storyline purpose, as Edge was the one to eliminate him from the Royal Rumble. Orton and Edge are very familiar with each other and Orton is a safe worker, which is two things that Edge most likely wanted and needed since he hasn’t been in the ring in 9 years, not to mention the still remaining questions about his neck. This isn’t to say that a younger talent wouldn’t be safe, but to start this run you want to get Edge in a high profile feud with a big name, which Orton provides.
Another reason why Orton is the perfect opponent is that he works much better as a heel than a babyface. While Orton wasn’t babyface for long on RAW, aside from his feud with AJ Styles, he was just floundering around and not doing much. Tonight, we got glimpses of the “Legend Killer” Randy Orton as he was slow and methodical with his attack on Edge. He contemplated hitting a move from the top rope onto Edge’s neck with a chair before deciding to do the Con-Chair-To. The heel Orton we have seen in recent years was just a typical, bland heel. This felt more like old school Orton, and the crowd reacted as such.
Randy Orton became this biggest heel in the company tonight, which is a role he thrives in. He can also carry Edge at WrestleMania, if needed, not to mention Orton can afford to take a loss to Edge. Add all of the ingredients together and you have yourself an amazing WrestleMania feud that fans will be invested in from start to finish.