Randy Orton's Suspension: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

'The Viper' Randy Orton will be out of action for 60 days

It’s news that Randy Orton was suspended for 60 days for violating WWE‘s wellness policy. Recent reports indicate that Orton was in possession of Dianabol and marijuana. It you’re wondering what Dianabol is, it is the trade name for methandrostenolone which is an orally-effective anabolic steroid. Dianabol was commonly used by bodybuilders until it was banned under the Controlled Substances Act, a few year ago. Now, what does this untimely suspension imply to the WWE and the fans?

The Good

Let’s admit it. Randy Orton, as a character, has gone nowhere since coming over to Smackdown, last year. He was one of the top guys at the time of the switch. Since he came over to Smackdown, he hasn’t been able to improve on his character. He was in the title picture for a while with Christian, then feuded with Wade Barrett and finally WWE followed it up by pitting him against Kane with a weak storyline. Just when he was done with Kane and was about to get into a feud with Chris Jericho, the Brazilian flag incident happened and Jericho was suspended. It has been a torrid run. The only thing that was memorable in his Smackdown stint was his feud with Christian. He may be the franchise player but the creative haven’t backed him with good storylines. Now with this unexpected break, Orton may return at his best. He may have a new character to replace his current Viper gimmick which I have to admit has gotten stale.

Rhodes and Ziggler have what it takes to be a main-eventer

Randy Orton’s injury will certainly be good news for guys like Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes who are starving for main event spotlight. These guys have proved time and again that they have got what it takes to be a top guy but they have been given limited chances at the top. Ziggler had a shot at the WWE Championship at the start of the year but since they his stocks have dwindled and he has been relegated to the tag-team championship mix-up along with Swagger and Vickie. Dolph deserves to be at the top and now that he seems to be splitting from Swagger and moving on to being a singles star, things seem to point that Ziggler will get his chance at the top in the very near future. Orton’s untimely suspension might further reduce his wait to rise up the ladder. Rhodes is another guy who currently has main event potential with a well rounded character. Both these guys might well be on their way to the top soon. Randy’s suspension has come at the right time for these gentlemen.

Another good because of this suspension is that Orton will be able to rest his troubled shoulder which has been plaguing his career for a while now. With Orton being one of the top established stars in the company, WWE couldn’t afford to rest him during his feud with Barrett when his shoulder gave up on him once again. He had a short break and came back within a few weeks. This break will enable him to come back fit and fresh.

The Bad

WWE just cannot afford to miss a top star like Randy Orton for 2 months. With Jericho gone for atleast a month, Orton’s suspension is a bad sign for the WWE. The TV ratings for Raw Supershows have been dwindling over the last few weeks, and now fans know that they will not be able to see neither Jericho nor Orton in the coming weeks, which may lead to worse TV ratings in the coming weeks.

WWE also doesn’t have stars of Orton’s caliber on Smackdown. His absence will surely make a dent in the Smackdown viewership too. WWE will be desperate to see Rey Mysterio back very soon to fill in this void left by Orton.

The Ugly

“Amazed at the amount of questions we have received on Twitter @JRsBBQ regarding Randy Orton’s 60 suspension from WWE for a 2nd violation of WWE’s wellness policy. Bottom line is that the business as always been about such things as “when one door closes, another door opens” and that “being in the right place at the right time” and both are still valid and viable in today’s ever changing world and that includes sports entertainment.” – Jim Ross, former WWE announcer.

A top star like Orton has left the company high and dry just at the time they needed him the most. They are desperately trying to arrest the slide in the viewership ratings and Orton has let them down by failing in a drug test. At this moment one should take a look at the career of John Cena who has been loyal to the company even at times of his own distress. Cena has worked his ass off for the business by being there everytime they needed him. I don’t want to get into comparisons between the attitude and character of Orton and Cena but I just wanted to point out how Cena has been a good employee while Orton has brought shame onto himself and his employer.

Orton has been notorious in the past even when he was a Marine. He was court-martialed and served 38 days in a military prison. This came back to haunt him when he was supposed to play the lead for the 3rd installment of the Marine franchise movies. Orton has served two WWE suspensions in the past which includes one for unruly behavior (he had brought large quantity of marijuana to the locker-room in 2006 which wasn’t a suspension-worthy offence during those days).

This is Orton’s second strike for violating the wellness policy of the WWE. One more strike and he would be gone from the company forever which is a shame. I hope he doesn’t do it again because WWE will be distraught to leave out a established star to TNA (or Impact Wrestling, whatever), if and when it happens. Orton doesn’t belong there. If it happens it would certainly be ugly.