Over the course of his career in WWE, Randy Orton has proved he works infinitely better as a heel. However, his immense popularity with fans has occasionally forced officials to turn him into a babyface.His debut year aside, Orton first worked face after breaking away from Evolution in 2004, branching out as a singles star. Though he remained over with audiences through the end of the year, it was clear he was better cast as a cocky heel, which he portrayed during his rivalry with The Undertaker in 2005.
For the next several years, Orton emerged as one of the best natural heels WWE had seen in quite some time. Everything from his mannerisms to his repulsive actions to his lack of respect for authority made you want to despise him with every fiber of your being.
However, he started to win fans over in early 2010 by doing such a great job as a heel. Although there were plans (h/t Wrestling Edge) for Ted DiBiase to become the next breakout babyface coming out of The Legacy, something changed along the way, and the decision was made to turn Orton instead.
Orton's face turn was solidified the night after WrestleMania 26, when he teamed with longtime rival John Cena to defeat Batista and Jack Swagger in tag action. From there, he went on to do some of the best work of his career. What made Orton more fantastic that year than he was in any other year of his career was that he wasn't your typical cookie-cutter babyface. He was edgy and rebellious, and he fought against both faces and heels.
He maintained all the qualities that made him so beloved as a heel. The only difference was that he was embracing the cheers.
In fact, there was a time in late 2010 when Orton appeared to be more over than Cena. When he captured his sixth WWE Championship at Night of Champions, the reaction he received from the Chicago crowd was thunderous, and his popularity simply could not be denied.
It was around the time WWE had Orton defeat Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship two days after winning it and began booking him as the "Super Cena" of SmackDown that fans started to turn against him.
Unfortunately for Orton, he was never the same after his feud with Christian. As an extremely stagnant babyface in 2012 and 2013, he was in desperate need of a heel turn, but the timing was never right. Even after he finally flipped the switch at SummerSlam 2013, his alliance with The Authority killed any momentum he had going. He was made to look fairly weak during his reign as champion, losing cleanly to the likes of John Cena, Daniel Bryan and even Kofi Kingston.
He continued to flounder as Triple H's lackey in the months that followed WrestleMania 30, and it wasn't until he began teasing tension with The Authority that he started to generate genuine interest from fans again. In laying out both Cena and Paul Heyman on the Oct. 20 Raw, he showed shades of his 2010 antihero persona, the same persona that launched him into superstardom.
The more Orton got on the nerves of his stablemates, the more fans got behind him. When he broke away from the faction at last on the Nov. 3 Raw, the crowd went ballistic, proving not all hope was lost for The Apex Predator's future as a top star in WWE.
That same night, Orton was brutally assaulted by Seth Rollins, writing him out of WWE storylines indefinitely. This was done so he could take time off to film The Condemned 2 from WWE Studios, though a timetable was never set for his return.
From his hometown of St. Louis at Survivor Series to the Tables match at TLC to the Royal Rumble, there have been several perfect places for Orton's return, but for one reason or another, officials opted to not have him make his highly anticipated comeback at any of the aforementioned events.
At this point, it's only a matter of time before he's back on Raw, likely feuding with the man who took him out of commission: Seth Rollins. Aside from Rollins, there are many fresh faces Orton can feud with as a face, including Bray Wyatt and Rusev.
As an antihero, Orton will be able to revert back to what got him over all those years ago.
Although he shines as a heel, the final few weeks of his time on programming proved he could work just as well if not better as atweener. Besides, with so many faces atop the roster right now, atweener character, such as Orton, is exactly what WWE needs.
Randy Orton Will Be an Average Star Upon Return to WWE TV
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