RANDY ORTON: MONEY IN THE BANK VICTORY MEANS HEEL TURN ON THE HORIZON

World Wrestling Entertainment’s annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view for 2013 has now gone down in history books.  And, it is a night that is going to be remembered for quite some time, thanks to two spectacular ladder matches.

But, allow me to pause here for a moment because before I proceed any further with this story, which you must have figured out from the title, I would like to make a bold statement that the Smackdown ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship contract was the better of the two. And I say this for various reasons. For starters, and let’s be honest here, the Raw match for the WWE Championship match did not live up to its hype. By no means am I saying that it was bad. It most certainly wasn’t. But, it sure as hell fell way short of many people’s expectations. For a match that was billed as “All Stars”, it wasn’t all that great. The only spot that saved the match perhaps, was Paul Heyman’s betrayal of long-time “best friend” CM Punk which was, though extremely predictable and expected, nevertheless, a well-executed segment. The rest of the match, though not boring, did not have any spectacular moment that would leave bloodthirsty and extreme match fanatics wide-eyed, or jaws dropped in wondrous admiration. Hell, not even Rob Van Dam’s return could do that. Though I’m not a big fan of RVD as a wrestler, I’d probably be stupid to deny that he’s a great showman. No denying that he is a supreme athlete, blessed with loads of stamina, who can still go longer than most of the young blood in the roster, despite the fact that he’s well into his 40s. But, his performance at Money in the Bank was mediocre at best, especially given the man’s golden past in ladder matches.

The Smackdown match, however, exceeded expectations. It was a bunch of rather inexperienced wrestlers who were handed the responsibility of carrying one of two main events. And, boy did they deliver! It was most certainly a match worthy of a world championship contract. And inspite of all the praise that has been thrown in the way of Cody Rhodes, which he most certainly deserves, if you ask me, Dean Ambrose was the one who stood out the most. And, he’s the one who stole the show with the spot of the pay-per-view. (Watch the video below and you’ll understand what I’m talking about. You don’t have to watch the whole thing. Just start around the 2: 05 mark and watch until Ambrose gets thrown off the ladder eventually). With Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro holding the ladder, Ambrose tried to climb the ladder, which he eventually did and attempted to grab the briefcase, with the two men carrying his and the ladder’s dead weight. Impressive feat of strength by Swagger and Cesaro, and phenomenal flexibility, core strength, and presence of mind by Ambrose. This is why ladder matches are so loved by the fans.  Not only did that spot remain in fans’ minds, it will certainly go down as one of the greatest moments in the ladder match’s history. Money in the Bank is famous for giving us atleast one memorable moment to take home, and this was that moment. Ambrose might be barely a year old, since making his debut on the main roster, but this young man is certainly impressing one and all, and giving us glimpses of the great future that awaits him.

And now, to the main point of this article. WWE threw all of us a curveball that no one saw coming, when they awarded Damien Sandow the World Championship contract. And though it wasn’t as major an upset as that, the WWE championship contract going to Randy Orton wasn’t altogether predictable or expected. I mean, Daniel Bryan was on such a mean streak and was so hot going into this contest, nobody thought he was going to lose. Instead, what does the WWE do? They do something totally unexpected and allow Randy Orton, a man who has not even been considered for main events since late-2011, to pick up the victory. And this is one of the reasons the WWE is the global leader in the sports entertainment industry. They lay so much importance on social media and keep such a close eye on what the fans want to see, especially the Internet Wrestling Community, that they almost always do the exact opposite and surprise one and all. They do eventually give what the fans demand for, but in ways they never expect it. This way, both parties gain. The fans get what they want, while also ensuring the company’s product doesn’t grow stale and predictable.

Anyway, Randy Orton’s victory can only be a win-win situation for the WWE. Several reasons can be attributed to this. First and foremost, is Daniel Bryan’s momentum. He’s literally unstoppable at the moment. He’s so popular with the fans that its deafening every time his music hits the air and he makes his way down to the ring. The fans want to see Bryan win the championship from Cena, and Money in the Bank would have been a wonderful way to do so. But, Money in the Bank would mean, Bryan would have probably cashed in when Cena was vulnerable, and that would have made him look weak. He certainly deserves better. So, WWE chose the wise way of capitalizing on his momentum and allowed him to chase the championship the hard way. Agreed, he was eventually granted an opportunity at the title when Cena handpicked him as his opponent, but atleast we now get to see a proper wrestling match, in which Bryan is made to sweat and bleed to gain the top prize. This will only increase his face value as fans would respect and admire him more, for having earned the title, and not capitalizing on a a vulnerable foe. And, whether or not Vince McMahon trusts him, the man and his beard, certainly seem to be the future of the company. So, how can there be any bad in Bryan not winning Money in the Bank?

And now for Orton, the eventual winner of the case. Talks of his impending heel turn have been doing the rounds for quite a while now, and what better way to get it on track, than by winning the Money in the Bank? Because, let’s face it. Money in the Bank is a briefcase, that is specially built for heels, due to the rules that define the cash-in. And let’s be honest here. As popular and over as he may be with the fans at the moment, Orton has grown ridiculously stale. His viper gimmick is not doing him any good and he desperately needs a character makeover. Orton must, and will turn heel soon. Just take a look back at 2009, when he was the leader of “Legacy”, or for that matter, a year before, during the “Age of Orton”. He produced some of the best work of his career during the time. Orton as a heel WWE champion was far better than Orton as the face World Heavyweight Champion. The man is a born villain. Everything about him screams villain. As the great Jerry Lawler once famously said, “whoever said that there is some good in everyone, has obviously never met Randy Orton”. Randy Orton is tailor made for a heel role, and for that reason alone, this Money in the Bank victory is the right step forward.

And, what has winning the briefcase got to do with a heel turn? Come on.. Don’t kid yourselves.. We all know Randy Orton is no saint. He’s not going to put the champion on a month’s notice, like RVD did. He’s not going to walk down to the ring and cash it in when the champ is fully fit and healthy, like the start of a regular match. John Cena’s ridiculously good nature provides us with enough and more of that. Orton is an opportunist. They call him ‘the viper’ for a reason. At the first sight of his prey, he pounces upon it. He does it quietly. He slithers his way to success, and he strikes out of nowhere, when it is least expected. By the man’s own admission, he believes opportunities are meant to be taken and not flushed down the loo. He has been gifted an opportunity for a shot at the WWE Championship. And he’s certainly going to make the most out of it.

The worst fear among all of this, however, is that the cash in might happen at Summerslam. And, the even greater fear is the person on whom Orton will cash in. Many believe Bryan will wriggle the WWE Championship out of Cena’s waist at Summerslam, and the Orton cash-in might happen immediately afterwards. And I for one certainly want to see Bryan enjoy a good, long run with the title. He deserves it. But, who knows? Like I said earlier, WWE keeps a close track of what fans are expecting to see. So, they might once again throw a curveball at us and the cash-in might not even happen. This is the WWE and anything can happen here. But then again, even if Orton does cash in on Bryan, it’ll make the title chase even more interesting. It’ll perhaps make Bryan an even greater hero, which will do more wonders for his career. WWE has put itself in the best possible scenario, in which any result will work in their favour. Kudos to the creative team for setting up such an intriguing angle. The WWE Championship picture is highly unclear. Nobody knows what’s going to happen. It is unpredictable and exciting. But, after all is said and done, the wait for the heel turn is going to end soon, and the red briefcase is going to be the perfect way to trigger it off.