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#1 The empty arena effect on Randy Orton's promo and character work
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While Randy Orton has always been able to convey his character through his actions, his promo work has always left something to desire for most fans. However in 2020 with the empty arena era due to the pandemic, Orton has developed into the most compelling WWE Superstar on the mic. His current "Legend Killer" persona has been enhanced by his stellar promo work throughout the empty arena episodes of RAW over the past few months.
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Whether he was explaining why he took out Edge and Christian for their own good or why Ric Flair had become a liability to his career, Randy Orton has elevated his game on the mic. The empty arena era has seen individuals have to change the way they did promos. Many WWE Superstars have been in the habit of cutting promos for the crowd reactions, but Randy has shown an ability to use the empty arena effect to show more emotion in his facial expressions during promos.
Orton's delivery in these promos have helped his character tremendously. While Randy Orton is known for his sudden actions with RKO's out of nowhere, his slow delivery has made every word that he has had to say count just a little bit more. He has even shown an ability to foreshadow his future actions like his promo before the non-sanctioned match against Big Show leading to his turn on Ric Flair.
Randy Orton has been even better in the lead up to his SummerSlam 2020 WWE Championship match against Drew McIntyre. The current WWE Champion has been one of the best performers himself this year and in the empty arena era. McIntyre exudes confidence and strength in his words and has had a strong WWE Championship reign in the ring.
However, after battles with Bobby Lashley and Dolph Ziggler, going up against the former 13-time world champion Randy Orton has to be looked at as a major upgrade in challenger. These two men have elevated their feud to lead to one of the best-built WWE Championship matches in quite some time and a worthy main event for the Biggest Party of the Summer.
Whether it's been this current feud with McIntyre or his exchanges with the many legends he has encountered this year, the empty arena effect has been more of a positive than a negative to Randy Orton's work as a character. After a nearly 20-year career in WWE, it has been refreshing to see Orton at this top form and putting in some of his best-ever performances. This is why 2020 has been the best year in Randy Orton's career.
