As I’m sure you’ve probably heard by now, the big blockbuster match has been announced for Summerslam!
The match will see ‘The Viper’ Randy Orton challenge ‘The Beast’ Brock Lesnar.
Hold on a minute.
Why is this match happening? Is this another one of Eric Bischoff’s ‘RAW Roulette’ matches?
I am a huge Randy Orton fan, I’ve been following him ever since back in 2002 and an injured Orton kept providing us with ‘RNN Updates’ (Randy News Network in case you were wondering).
So naturally, I’ve been looking forward to Randy’s return for quite some time now since his unfortunate injury in September of last year which has kept him out of action for what will be almost a year!
So you can imagine my confusion and annoyance when seemingly out of nowhere (no pun intended) Orton is back, and without appearing at a single show, has a match at Summerslam!
Now forgive me, the attitude era fan in me still enjoys seeing matches build up, I like to see an old fashioned challenge issued, then watch it slowly unfold. For me this builds anticipation for the eventual match, and gives you the ultimate pay off in the end.
I’ve been going back and forth as to why WWE continuously announce matches via social media instead of letting them play out on TV, and I have no answer for that, apart from on this occasion.
I think in this instance, WWE knew that Brock Lesnar was going to be participating in UFC 200, and Vince McMahon knew that there’d be a lot of media coverage to capitalise on, so by announcing a Summerslam match for Lesnar to be advertised at UFC, it would attract more viewers who are currently on the Brock Lesnar hype.
See in UFC they can announce two competitors to fight each other, and then countdown until the fight itself, but with WWE, a large aspect is entertainment, so there needs to be a reason behind what we’re seeing.
I get the best out of WWE matches, when I’m invested in the storyline, and that could be anyone. You could pit two superstars, ANY two superstars against each other, and as long as there’s a reason behind it and a good story told in the process, I’ll want to see the match.
Would it really have hurt WWE to have Orton return on RAW? Issue out a challenge to Brock Lesnar and demand an answer on the Smackdown live debut on July 19th? It would get fans talking, and Orton’s return would excite people, because the fans love to be surprised, and that’s what WWE seems to forget a lot.
Shane McMahon will officially announce the new Smackdown General Manager on this weeks RAW, now that is reason to tune in alone, but what if WWE just announced it on Twitter, and then said _____ will be on RAW for his/her first appearance since being named Smackdown GM? Half the impact.
As it happens, Randy Orton will be the special guest of Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel at WWE Battleground. My thought now? So what.
I know Orton is returning, I know he’s facing Brock Lesnar now, and I know all this without even having seen either Orton or Lesnar on WWE television. What a waste of a return, I think Orton deserves much better than that.
Let Randy get the people talking, make Smackdown unmissable, or even have him debut on Smackdown itself as part of the draft, imagine the possibilities in that scenario?
The great thing about having Orton issue the challenge, is that Lesnar himself doesn’t even have to accept it, he has one of the best microphone workers in pro wrestling, Paul Heyman, to do that for him.
From a WWE show, fans need to have talking points, RAW/Smackdown should leave viewers hanging on and itching for next week’s show. PPV’s should be where a long standing feud is finally settled, or the next chapter of that feud is opened.
I’m always against matches on PPV’s that have had less than 1 week’s build up, especially those that are on the basis of a backstage scuffle on the previous RAW.
The starpower and draw of Brock Lesnar is unquestionable, he brings in ratings and viewers like no other. Obviously WWE pays Lesnar a lot to appear on the shows, but his fees are justified. This was never about Lesnar coming and going, this was about WWE creatives unwillingness to tell a story and even plant a seed for the match.
Maybe I’m jumping the gun and the story will be told within the weeks leading up to Summerslam, but regardless of that, the anticipation and excitement of Randy Orton’s return has unfortunately gone for me.
Don’t get me wrong, Randy Orton vs Brock Lesnar will be a great match in which I fully expect both men to surpass expectations, and in my opinion Orton is one of few competitors within WWE that can pose a legitimate thread to Brock Lesnar. (Side note: Check out Armbar Analysis with Tom Robinson to read his thoughts on if Randy Orton really is the right man to face Brock Lesnar at Summerslam)
ibut at the moment, I just feel what had the potential to be Orton’s big return has been squandered and wasted on Vince’s desperation to attract a UFC audience.
I’m sure there will be a story to unfold and like anything, patience is key to receiving the full benefits of an angle, but in this case I feel Orton deserved the ‘shock value’ return, and not just thrown into a match with Brock Lesnar.
Will Randy Orton vs Brock Lesnar be a good match?
Did Orton deserve a better return?
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