Odds on Who is the Most Likley to Take the WWE Title Strap from Randy Orton
Randy Orton is into his 7th month as WWE Champion, and while some of the time as title holder the reign has been rather stale, you have to give the third generation wrestler his due, he's been able to do enough to keep the belt around his waist. He pulled off what has to be considered a MAJOR upset with a win over John Cena and Triple H at WrestleMania XXIV two weeks ago, and now will have a fatal four-way coming up at Backlash in two weeks. Let's take a look at some of the top contenders for Orton's belt, and the odds that they will be the one to stop the reign of the RKO.
1. Triple H 5/2 - No doubt that the "King of Kings" has the best shot to eventually unseat Orton. Many had him picked as the man to do it at Mania, but it was not meant to be. Does he really need the belt though? That seems to be a big question in the company, and let's just say for some it's been refreshing that for the past two plus years HHH has been without a championship. Still, he's the man most pick to take the strap.
2. John Cena 4/1 - The Master of Thugonomics is right up there with HHH as someone who can stop the reign of Orton. He also was a pick by many to win at Mania, but again, is the world done with Cena in terms of him being the champ, and what would another run with the belt really do? I guess at some point we are going to find out, but it might be against Triple H in a main event at a mega PPV.
3. Chris Jericho 7/1 - Y2J is the current IC champ, and he has already had a run vs Orton when he came back on TV a few months ago. Jericho still has a lot of value, and has done a good job in running with the IC belt once he took it from Jeff Hardy. Jericho as the champ again can happen, I just right now don't see it.
4. Jeff Hardy 8/1 - Right now this thought is on the back burner, but the bottom line is that Jeff Hardy was inches away and many felt he would be the title holder entering WM. His out of the ring issues seem to be his biggest problem, plus the fact he is still dealing with the tragedy of losing his home and pet dog. I think he comes back strong, and eventually gets another run at Randy.
5. JBL 11/1 - This one is a real head scratcher, as what Layfield has done to earn a legit shot at Orton is beyond me, but for some reason he's got it. I will say this, Layfield said it right when he said that he was one of the most hated champs in WWE history when he had the World Title strap on SmackDown, but that seems like a VERY long time ago.
6. Shawn Michaels 14/1 - HBK had some shots at Orton, and while he still is very popular, I don't see him ever getting the WWE Title again, unless it's simply due to a variety of weird circumstances like injury. With that said, he always does have good matches vs Orton, and a run against him may not be as far fetched as we think.
7. Mr. Kennedy 18/1 - I said post Mania last year that Kennedy someday is going to be a huge babyface, and that he would make a great champion. Well, I think that plan can still happen, but Kennedy has had a tough one year since winning the Money in the Bank match at Mania. Only a switch to face would make this happen, and right now it's not really in the cards.
8. Umaga 20/1 - Same boat as Kennedy, as it seems they played with the thought of turning Umaga a few times, only for him to stay heel, which is where he's best. He is the ultimate killer when it comes to squash matches, then usually loses to the upper tier of guys. I expect to see him make a switch to SmackDown in the next few months.
Labels: jbl, john cena, mr. kennedy, randy orton, triple h
