5 Reasons why Randy Orton should be the Undisputed Face of the WWE

After majorly angling towards the notion that Wrestlemania 31 would be the stage of Roman Reigns’ coronation as the new top babyface in the company, the WWE pulled a fast one. Not without good reason as we can agree in varying degrees at least, that Roman Reigns was probably not ready for the top spot yet.In a match that would have seen Roman Reigns “come of age” had he won it, we instead witnessed Seth Rollins scurrying back up the ramp with the undeserved spoils of other men’s war. While it is indubitable that Rollins has all the attributes and potential required to fill the void left by Shawn Michaels, it would still be a far cry to assume that Rollins is currently ready to bear the mantle of being the WWE World Heavyweight Champion on a long term basis, especially when Roman Reigns was written off so unceremoniously for the same.For the time being though, Seth Rollins could traction heat from the audience by being a defensive “heel” champion, but if the WWE want to appear serious about “elevating” the respective title belts, then perhaps Randy Orton, and not Seth Rollins, should be the name that is mentioned in the same breath as Daniel Bryan and John Cena.After the announcement that Randy Orton is set to face Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Title at Extreme Rules, here are 5 reasons why Randy Orton should become the standard bearer for the WWE in the reality era.

#1 Enough with PG!

After Stephanie McMahon called Brock Lesnar a “son of a bitch” on the previous episode of Monday Night Raw, the WWE has left little room for doubt as to the lingering status of the “PG” tag. With the audience equally eager to forget the heroic baby-face routine that the WWE had maintained fastidiously throughout the PG era, now could well be the time for an anti-hero to receive the spotlight.

Though Randy Orton has captured the WWE title on 8 occasions, and the World Heavyweight Title 4 times, his star was generally outshone by John Cena in the PG era. Perhaps with the Reality era now in full swing, and Cena relegated to a mid-card title reign, Orton’s path lies clear. Randy Orton has always been an anti-hero, if not a full blown heel, and without the restrictions that the PG era entails, his character could find the freedom to completely express itself.Almost on cue, on the episode of Monday Night Raw that aired on 9th March 2015, Randy Orton hoisted two middle fingers up in the air, and proceeded to decimate Seth Rollins in a show of vicious retribution. The audience, though, lapped it all up. This was exactly the kind of “bad-ass” attitude that the fans had been deprived of in the PG era, and Randy Orton can provide that and then some.

#2 In-ring Proficiency

With the all-action style of the younger stars like Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins capturing the fancy of the audience lately, Randy Orton’s in-ring ability does not receive quite as much credit as it should. Apart from having a wide repertoire of moves that included off-the-top-rope body splashes and frequent dropkicks in his earlier days, the smoothness, poise and purpose with which Randy Orton performs in the ring is unparalleled by any other superstar.

In-ring psychology has always been a grey area to consider, but The Undertaker and Sting serve as prime examples who have perfected the art. Neither Sting, in his WCW days, nor the Undertaker till today, have used the microphone extensively. The handle that they have on their respective personas, coupled with a sound understanding of in-ring psychology allows them to engender audience reaction without having to say a word, or with minimal mic usage.

Ever since taking on the “Apex Predator”/ “Viper” persona, Randy Orton has raised and fine-tuned his in-ring game, so much so that his usage of the mic has minimized and he is already considered to be one of WWE’s seasoned veterans despite being only 35 and still very much in his prime.

#3 Fighting Champion

With John Cena caught up in the US Title picture, Reigns made to wait another day and Rollins unlikely to receive a lengthy title run with his currentweasel-likecharacter, elevating the WWE World Heavyweight Championship falls on the shoulders of two men, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar.

While Brock Lesnar is nothing short of awe-inspiring in the ring, his limited dates would mean that the WWE World Heavyweight Title would only be making sporadic appearances. Randy Orton on the other hand, could defend the title on Raw and other less important pay-per-views that do not include Brock Lesnar as well.Though Brock Lesnar is legitimately the biggest ass-kicker in the WWE currently, the elevation of the WWE World Heavyweight Title would be better served by it being defended on a more regular basis than Lesnar has signed on for.Randy Orton, with his experience and consistency, could be a viable long term option for the WWE to put the title on. Perhaps it is a tease of thisview in mind, that the Authority has constantly referred to Orton as the Face of the Company off late.

#4 R.K.O!

To have a WWE World Heavyweight Champion whose reputation is preceded by that of his finishing move is a credible advertisement for the business of wrestling. The RKO has been delivered so emphatically by Orton so many times over, that it has created a niche for itself.Added to that, Randy Orton’s ability to counter his opponents’ moves using a split-second window of opportunity and deliver a thunderous RKO, beggars belief. Even after 13 years in the company and 12 straight Wrestlemania appearances, the fact that “RKO outta nowhere!” is continually evolving to include newer spots and transitions that still take the audience by surprise, points to an inventive wrestling brain that is ever improving its craft.The RKO has generated mainstream popularity in ways another wrestling move could never hope to aspire to, what with Vines, memes, and even live celebrations in other sports featuring the move prominently. Randy Orton’s “RKO outta nowhere” is a globally recognized phenomenon, which certainly would do his marketability no harm, were he to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

#5 He is ready

Much has been made about whether a wrestler is truly ever “ready” for the undisputed top spot. Sometimes, the WWE takes a risk on “green” talent, and at 24 years old, Randy Orton was the youngest risk until then taken by the WWE, when they put the World Heavyweight Championship on him in 2004.

As even Orton admits it, he was anything but ready for the responsibility of being the top guy then, and abysmal failure followed the premature success. Orton’s career descended into drug abuse, and he was even once suspended for 60 days having been admitted in the hospital after taking in an overdose of sleeping pills.

Though his in-ring talent had made admirers out of both Triple H and Ric Flair among many others, Randy Orton was clearly not responsible enough to shoulder the “top guy” mantle back then, and it took 7 years before the WWE entrusted him with the World Heavyweight Title again. However now, still at the prime of his career, Orton has an opportunity to set the record straight once and for all. With the WWE supposedly delaying Reigns’ big push, this could be the perfect moment for WWE’s Apex Predator to strike gold.