Orton; Champion Overlooked
As we near Wrestle Mania I want to take time to look in depth at each match and where it potentially will lead its participants. And I feel there is no better place to start than with the triple threat WWE championship match. This match is one of the most anticipated as it features two of the WWE's biggest names in Triple H and John Cena. At that's were the problem lies for Randy Orton. Orton comes into this match as the champion, but does anyone care that he is involved? The crowd is usually split right down the middle for Cena, but you cannot deny people have been talking about his amazing return at the Royal Rumble and his subsequent win. That has throw the spotlight on him big time. And Triple H is such a big name he really hasn't had much a of title push since he returned, but he will always be a fan favorite. Orton on the other hand has not gone over well as champ and I'm not sure why they kept the belt on him.
I really think this match will hurt Orton's chances in the near future of being a champion again. There is no way he walks out of Mania with the belt, but i feel he still has a future as champion in the WWE. His title reign has not been the best, but I don't place the blame solely on him. He was forced to work some programs with guys that he really didn't have a chance to build any momentum with. This would include HBK and Jericho. It was almost like they were trying to fill a void quickly for contenders against him. He looked good at No Mercy against Triple H and his feuds with Cena have been pretty good. I especially like his chemistry with Cena and I feel that program will be revisited in the future. But anytime he has been placed with anyone else he does have trouble carrying the momentum. So yes, I agree he should not be champ anymore, but I'm not sure how this match at Mania will help him. There is no doubt he is the odd man out as everyone will be wanting either Triple H or Cena to win. Leading up to this event that's were the focus has been. Yes they do include Orton in the plot because they have to, but you get the feeling he is only an afterthought. It would have been better if they let him drop the belt to Cena at No Way Out and then put Orton in the Money in the Bank match on a quest to regain his title. He could have been given a rematch on Raw so that would have been taken care of, and then let him be obsessed with reclaiming his prize. This is a role Orton does very well and he may actually be a better number one contender than champion. It will be interesting if he finds him self in the title picture for the rest of 2008. He may become the default choice while Cena is filming, especially now that Jeff Hardy is out of the picture. It will be hard to find positives for him coming out of this match, especially since he goes into it with a who cares about you attitude from the fans for the current champ.
Cena on the other hand has been enjoying a meteoric ride since his surprise return at the Royal Rumble. I fore one was against this fast track approach to getting him in the main event at Mania so quickly. He had a very long title reign until his injury and I felt it was time for a fresh face to contend for the championship at Mania. Of course like many others, I felt that fresh face should be Jeff Hardy. Again, now that Hardy is out due to suspension it looks like the WWE saved some face for their main event. Perhaps that's why Jeff was kept out of the picture so they would not have to scramble to find a replacement. Regardless, by having Cena in this match only helps add excitement to it. There is no doubt the crowd will be into it, just look at the Cena/ Triple H match from Mania 22. The crowd hated Cena with a passion and look for the same environment, if no more intense. This helps Cena as he loves playing the underdog and relishes the moment. The only trouble for him coming out of this match is the break he will need to take to do filming in May. This will break up the momentum of the feud that will no doubt ensue after this match between him and Triple H. I don't see Cena getting the title due to the filming commitments, but he will end up with it some time over the summer as he will most likely return and rekindle this rivalry with Triple H. This match will only be a spring board to his return as champion.
So that leaves us with Triple H. As I mentioned above he will most likely be the one leaving the Citrus Bowl as champ. And for him it has been a long time coming. Since returning from injury in August he only held the title briefly in October at No Mercy. And by briefly I mean it wasn't even a full day as he won it then lost it later in the night. Since then he has been fighting the odds to get a title match. He had to earn a spot at the Royal Rumble as William Regal did all he could to prevent Triple H's participation. He lost to Cena in the rumble then had to qualify in the Elimination Chamber match to get a shot at Mania. For Triple H to be out of the title picture for so long is rare and I look for him to get the title at this match. With Cena needing to take a break for filming they need the belt on major drawing card and Triple H definitely fits that bill. We should see at least one rematch between Cena and H before Cena takes his hiatus, then things should pick up again in the summer. This will finally give us the much anticipated program between these two that has been held off due to various injuries. As far as who Triple H will take on while Cena is away, I mentioned Orton above, but there a plenty of talented fellows on the Raw roster who can use this opportunity to further their careers. As for Triple H he really doesn't need a push as he is a big enough talent, but it will be nice to see him return as champ. Also, the potential of a feud between him and Cena over the summer should only help to sell pay per views as the two biggest names in the WWE will finally be facing each other for the championship.
I really think this match will hurt Orton's chances in the near future of being a champion again. There is no way he walks out of Mania with the belt, but i feel he still has a future as champion in the WWE. His title reign has not been the best, but I don't place the blame solely on him. He was forced to work some programs with guys that he really didn't have a chance to build any momentum with. This would include HBK and Jericho. It was almost like they were trying to fill a void quickly for contenders against him. He looked good at No Mercy against Triple H and his feuds with Cena have been pretty good. I especially like his chemistry with Cena and I feel that program will be revisited in the future. But anytime he has been placed with anyone else he does have trouble carrying the momentum. So yes, I agree he should not be champ anymore, but I'm not sure how this match at Mania will help him. There is no doubt he is the odd man out as everyone will be wanting either Triple H or Cena to win. Leading up to this event that's were the focus has been. Yes they do include Orton in the plot because they have to, but you get the feeling he is only an afterthought. It would have been better if they let him drop the belt to Cena at No Way Out and then put Orton in the Money in the Bank match on a quest to regain his title. He could have been given a rematch on Raw so that would have been taken care of, and then let him be obsessed with reclaiming his prize. This is a role Orton does very well and he may actually be a better number one contender than champion. It will be interesting if he finds him self in the title picture for the rest of 2008. He may become the default choice while Cena is filming, especially now that Jeff Hardy is out of the picture. It will be hard to find positives for him coming out of this match, especially since he goes into it with a who cares about you attitude from the fans for the current champ.
Cena on the other hand has been enjoying a meteoric ride since his surprise return at the Royal Rumble. I fore one was against this fast track approach to getting him in the main event at Mania so quickly. He had a very long title reign until his injury and I felt it was time for a fresh face to contend for the championship at Mania. Of course like many others, I felt that fresh face should be Jeff Hardy. Again, now that Hardy is out due to suspension it looks like the WWE saved some face for their main event. Perhaps that's why Jeff was kept out of the picture so they would not have to scramble to find a replacement. Regardless, by having Cena in this match only helps add excitement to it. There is no doubt the crowd will be into it, just look at the Cena/ Triple H match from Mania 22. The crowd hated Cena with a passion and look for the same environment, if no more intense. This helps Cena as he loves playing the underdog and relishes the moment. The only trouble for him coming out of this match is the break he will need to take to do filming in May. This will break up the momentum of the feud that will no doubt ensue after this match between him and Triple H. I don't see Cena getting the title due to the filming commitments, but he will end up with it some time over the summer as he will most likely return and rekindle this rivalry with Triple H. This match will only be a spring board to his return as champion.
So that leaves us with Triple H. As I mentioned above he will most likely be the one leaving the Citrus Bowl as champ. And for him it has been a long time coming. Since returning from injury in August he only held the title briefly in October at No Mercy. And by briefly I mean it wasn't even a full day as he won it then lost it later in the night. Since then he has been fighting the odds to get a title match. He had to earn a spot at the Royal Rumble as William Regal did all he could to prevent Triple H's participation. He lost to Cena in the rumble then had to qualify in the Elimination Chamber match to get a shot at Mania. For Triple H to be out of the title picture for so long is rare and I look for him to get the title at this match. With Cena needing to take a break for filming they need the belt on major drawing card and Triple H definitely fits that bill. We should see at least one rematch between Cena and H before Cena takes his hiatus, then things should pick up again in the summer. This will finally give us the much anticipated program between these two that has been held off due to various injuries. As far as who Triple H will take on while Cena is away, I mentioned Orton above, but there a plenty of talented fellows on the Raw roster who can use this opportunity to further their careers. As for Triple H he really doesn't need a push as he is a big enough talent, but it will be nice to see him return as champ. Also, the potential of a feud between him and Cena over the summer should only help to sell pay per views as the two biggest names in the WWE will finally be facing each other for the championship.
