Is anyone in the professional wrestling business having more fun than Randy Orton right now?
Orton returned to WWE at Survivor Series last month after a year and a half away from the ring due to a serious back injury. He returned to a heroes welcome as the fifth and final member of the Cody Rhodes War Games team and led the team to victory with power slam after power slam, draping DDT after draping DDT, and RKO after RKO.
Daddy’s home
The next night on Monday Night Raw, Orton started the show with a promo and smiled as he walked down the ramp before signing an autograph for a kid in the audience. He moved into the ring where the crowd roared for him as he did his patented turnbuckle pose. On the microphone, Orton appeared calm, unstressed, loose, and willing to lean into his borderline arrogant personality as he eventually ran down Rhea Ripley with a spirited “Daddy’s Home” line that now occupies space on thousands of t-shirts across WWE’s global empire.
Orton did the same thing on Smackdown, though this time taking a bit of a beating from The Bloodline before running them off thanks to the help of fellow babyface star, LA Knight. As the crowd cheered for him signing an exclusive Smackdown contract, they quickly flipped on the brand, but cheered louder and more passionately as Orton hit an RKO on Smackdown General Manager Nick Aldis, the guy responsible for bringing Orton in.
Yep, it’s all one messy little story with conflicting continuity and regular WWE madness, but it works now specifically because of Randy Orton’s lack of giving a shit.
A lack of giving a shit
Wrestling is a funny business. A lack of giving a shit hurt Randy Orton early in his career. Now, while in the twilight years of his time in the ring, it’s helping him present as one of the biggest stars the WWE has on it’s roster.
Peers have gone on record saying that Randy Orton was an asshole. John Cena in particular kept it short, sweet, and to the point when discussing Randy Orton on Orton’s WWE career biography DVD. "I always joke around there's old Randy and then there's new Randy," Cena said. "Old Randy was an asshole." Worse than that, Orton has failed multiple wellness policy tests and famously was disrespectful of the women in the WWE Divas division back in the mid-2000’s. Orton also admitted on the Broken Skull Sessions to big-timing The Undertaker and opting to sleep in after a night of drinking rather than show up on time for a planning session ahead of their WrestleMania 21 match and not putting effort into growing his promo skills because he knew he’d “get by” on his ring work. So, yeah, a jerk.
As an up and coming star, that personality stung his reputation. It didn’t hurt his push in the company because he was so obnoxiously good and he is the youngest world heavyweight champion of all time, but fans soured on him and Orton himself could have gotten even more over had he not been so … him.
Arrogance now paying off
Fast-forward to present day and Randy Orton still exudes a lot of the same arrogant charisma that pestered him early in his career. That’s a good thing most of the time. In wrestling, you want to find your true personality and turn the volume up on it when it’s time to be a character in the ring. A character with authenticity is more likely to connect with fans and Orton’s authentic personality is deeply rooted in being a jerk.
As a 20-year veteran in the business, the arrogance and jerkiness resonate differently. With a career of strong business, multiple championships, and just being around for such a long damn time, people appreciate him for who he is. A lack of giving a shit is cute, right? Ohhhhh Randy. Randy being Randy. Like an old high school friend who hasn’t changed, would fans like Orton today if walked into WWE? Probably not, but history trumps a lot and Orton is who he is. The good thing is, he can embrace that now.
Orton’s new demeanor stands out today because nobody else on the roster is operating like he is. They can’t. They have to give a shit. Orton has been back for two weeks now and hasn’t taken a flat back bump yet. Brilliant. Stan Hansen and other old timers would be proud.
The current stars have it different. Guys like Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and even Roman Reigns are still firmly in their primes. They are the now of WWE and they act like it by playing a lot by the book and doing their job the way they are told. Who wouldn’t? Orton doesn’t and doesn’t have to — at least that’s the perception he brilliantly gets across.
A viper in a candy store
Orton comes across like a guy that shows up when he wants, leaves when he wants, and does what he wants. In the real world, that’s annoying, but in a world built on star power, it’s compelling and a draw. Put that up against a line of talent that have to tow the company line and operate like WWE billboards and he stands out above them and is easy to invest in. Shades of gray good guys like a Han Solo in Star Wars always get over big in the end and 2023 Randy Orton is playing in that same galaxy.
Orton looks like a star’s star out there. He’s a viper in a candy store. Finally, Orton being an asshole can be firmly embraced and the WWE product is better because of it.