This Is The Best Randy Orton Has Been In Decades, But I Hope WWE Doesn't Make The Same Old Mistake

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: WWE / USA Network When I first got back into wrestling after a multi-year break in 2009, I couldn’t get enough of the unhinged menace that was Randy Orton. This era of the “Viper,” which saw the third-generation wrestler evolve from a man with a great legacy to one of the most intense and dastardly heels , was unlike anything he’d done before.

Then came WrestleMania 25, when it all came crashing down as Orton went into the unstoppable meat-grinder that was late 2000s Triple H in one of the most underwhelming main events of all time. Randy Orton, who doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, is currently in a similar situation: he’s wrestling a former stablemate for the WWE Championship at the two-night WrestleMania 42 and he’s in the middle of an outstanding heel run. In fact, this is the best he’s been since that 2009 feud.

I just hope WWE doesn’t make the same old mistake… again. Credit: WWE Randy Orton Is Just So Natural As An Unhinged Heel Nothing against babyface Randy Orton, but the Viper has always been at his best (and having the most fun) as a heel. From his days in Evolution to leading Legacy to even being the Authority’s chosen champion in the Daniel Bryan feud, he’s just natural as a heel.

This is especially true when he lets those voices in his head get the best of him and cause him to be unhinged. We’re in that right now with his feud with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, whom he turned heel against in March 2026 upon signing the contract for their big WrestleMania main event match . Mercilessly beating Rhodes to a bloody pulp, Orton was in rare form and looked like the silent killer that he was nearly 20 years ago.