Potential Vengeance Main-Event

[Mac Daddy]

In Demand has put up their listing for WWE's Vengeance PPV which will take place on July 11, 2004. Their "synopsis" for the event is the following:

"The evolution of a living legend continues as Randy Orton looks to take his next step towards greatness. WWE VENGEANCE, Sunday, July 11 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT live on Events iN DEMAND pay-per-view."

Looks like Randy Orton may finally be getting a shot at the World Heavyweight Title, though, this is not in any way confirmed and just a rumor at this point.

Credit: WNW

So apparently, Randy Orton will be getting a shot at Chris Benoit’s World Heavyweight title. At least, that’s what I got out of the above. I mean, what else can they mean by “… Orton looks to take his next step toward greatness”?


This has been quite a topic on other forums, namely WNW, where I got this from. Over there a lot of people felt that Randy Orton was not ready to headline a pay-per-view and there were guys like Chris Jericho, or maybe even Christian that deserves a title shot before he does. I feel differently. Randy Orton has been the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion in 6 or 7 years, he’s immensely over with the crowd, and he’s beaten the Hardcore Legend, Mick Foley twice. What more can you ask for? I didn’t even mention that Orton has grown so much over the past couple of months. His mic and in-ring abilities have improved greatly, and he’s been apart of some of fantastic, pay-per-view quality match-ups on Monday Night Raw for a long time. Maybe there are some other guys that deserve a title shot, and maybe Orton should achieve a little more, but if this is the course of action by the WWE, I’m ready to accept without any complaints. Funny thing is, I’ve actually heard someone compare Orton and Benoit’s possible feud as “another JBL/Eddie Guerrero feud.” I won’t even dignify that with a response.


How would you feel if Randy Orton received a shot at the World Heavyweight title at July’s Vengeance pay-per-view?

[Unknown]

I feel that Orton is ready for a title feud but I don't think this is the right time for it. I would have his feud with Shelton Benjamin continue into Vengeance ending in a 2 out of 3 falls match. I'd then have him drop the title and go onto feud with some of the main event level talent on Raw maybe Jericho. I just think that it would be better for establishing him rather than having him drop the IC title and immediately go on to feud for the World Heavyweight title.

[Mac Daddy]

I feel that Orton is ready for a title feud but I don't think this is the right time for it. I would have his feud with Shelton Benjamin continue into Vengeance ending in a 2 out of 3 falls match. I'd then have him drop the title and go onto feud with some of the main event level talent on Raw maybe Jericho. I just think that it would be better for establishing him rather than having him drop the IC title and immediately go on to feud for the World Heavyweight title.


That's a great alternative; a damn good one.


My point was (I'm not saying you were mistaken; just reiterating) that a Benoit/Orton feud for Vengeance would be okay with me. Its safe to say I won't feel as strongly as some other people in fact the rumor is true.

[Unknown]

Yeah I knew that's what you were trying to get across. I wouldn't have a problem with the feud and I don't see how people could compare it to JBL/Eddie. I'd take Orton main eventing over JBL anyday.

[The-Noodle]

i dont like the idea of orton main eventing in such an early stage of his career. yes hes gr8 and all, but think of sum other ppl who deserve these shots if he does. i personally think that vince shood re-look this. if orton ends up main eventing now, he will turn out like lesnar and may b gone, or we mite get sick of him. all he needs 2 do is pull off sum excellent IC matches with shelton or sum1, and he'd still b doing well, and wood leave him 2 main event in a year or so. maybe the best option is 2 hav him win next years royal rumble. in conclusion i think a mor deserving and talented guy is batista. batista is always shown as a tag partner and never in singles competition. batista cood crush orton any day. just wat until evolution breaks and they mite push batista in stead of him being stuck with FLAIR!.

these r just my opinions.

[Sunshine]

i dont mind if he gets a shot at it, just as long as he doesnt win it. Because hes too young. Maybe next year, so Lesnars title wont be broken. I dont want it to be Lesnars title, but having the youngest champ title switch around every year would lose its preciousness

[12]

I feel that Orton is ready for a title feud but I don't think this is the right time for it. I would have his feud with Shelton Benjamin continue into Vengeance ending in a 2 out of 3 falls match. I'd then have him drop the title and go onto feud with some of the main event level talent on Raw maybe Jericho. I just think that it would be better for establishing him rather than having him drop the IC title and immediately go on to feud for the World Heavyweight title.


I have to agree and I think Jericho and Orton could put on some great matches.A high profile feud with Jericjo would do him so uch good, both in ring and mic skills. I think Orton should drop the IC title before the feud and then maybe have it across 2PPVs with the final match being a number one contenders match. That way he would have had two really decent feuds and one would be pretty high status. The other advantage is that it kills about 4/5 months of feud before he moves into the title picture.

[Peoples King]

Orton in the Main Event. Not a bad thing. Orton winning the World title? At this stage I wouldnt recommend it. Mac Daddy you pointed out that Ortom is the longest reigning IC champion in 7 years but the thing is he hasnt defended that title that much in that space of time. You could more then likely count his title defenses on your two hands. I think the title reign is a non-runner when it comes to argueing in favour of Randy.

If Randy were to Main Event Vengence I wouldnt crib about it. He has the mic skills and is getting over with the crowd in a big big way. HIs in ring skills get better as time goes by and it is obvious Randy is the future. But I think it would be a bit premature to end his feud with Benjamin at Bad Blood. This feud could and should run for at least three months, ending at SummerSlam. After that Randy needs to, as other have said, go into a high HIGH profile feud with one of RAw's main eventers. Beniot(if he doesnt have the title), Tripe H the face or Chris Jericho.

Orton will more then likely win the title this year but I owuld guess he wont win it until maybe Survivor Series or Armegeddon. He needs those 5/6 months to really make a mark and to distance himself from the mid-card. Chances are Orton will main event WrestleMania XXI.

So I say give him time before giving him the title.

[Qwaar-Jet]

I'm assuming Orton would be Main Eventing Wrestlemania with Triple H?

BTW it's not Wrestlemania XXI anymore, it's 21.

[Epitaph]

I’m sure this Past week, I’ve read spoilers in some way shape or form about the Possible main event for Vengence, and I’m sure it was in the Metlzer Column that it’s Heavily rumoured towards being Chris Benoit Vs Edge.

For me, I think it’s too much too soon for Orton if he were to main event Vengence, IMO He need’s a lot more work, Mainly on his in ring skills, Whilst his Microphone skills are Superb and the fans are really on his back! Yet his IC Title rain should last a little bit longer and I say make him have more defences which in result could get him over a lot more and give him and the belt a lot more credibility, Which is something that the belt was lacking not so long ago.

It’s once in a Blue moon that the poster these day’s represent what is actually going to happen. Unless there’s another Legend set up for Orton on this PPV, I wouldn’t really like to hazard a guess at to what could possibly be happening.

[Chazz]

Having Orton in the main event is not a big deal to me. Him winning the title would be a huge......HUGE......mistake. I'll admit that at the beginning of the year, I kept asking myself why he was being pushed like he was. Now, he has come a long way and has proven that he has the tools to be a big time superstar for the WWE.

Now, having said that, if he were to win the title this year then I would be dissappointed. I'm sorry, but Jericho and Edge deserve to hold the belt before Randy does. That is just how I feel. I honestly think that Randy won't be in the main event because it looks to me that at Vengeance we will get Benoit vs. a heel Edge. At least with the way Benoit and Edge lost the titles it appears that Edge will turn on Benoit. Orton needs to stay in his feud with Benjamin for until SummerSlam. Those two could have one heck of a rivalry.

Now, in regards to the Brock Lesnar comparison. I don't think it is fair to say that since Brock was pushed too fast and as a result he suffered from burnout, that if Randy were pushed like that that he would suffer the same fate. Sure, it is a possibility, but ther were many things in Brock's life that lead to his burnout. Randy may have his act more together than Brock did. I still wouldn't suggest that the WWE should push Orton like they did Brock because they could get burned again. You have to remember that Vince invested alot of time and money into Brock because he figured he would have Lesnar for many, many years. It backfired. You can't predict that something like that could or would happen, but I am sure Vince is going to be leery when it is suggested to push someone else who is young like they did with Brock.

If Orton does face Benoit at Vengeance, then I would think that alot of the fans would not care for the match simply because they would believe that Orton has no chance to win the title. I say this because we all know that Hunter will be waiting and come SummerSlam will get his title shot. However, if Edge were to face Benoit and he where to do it as a heel, then people would believe that Edge could win and go on to meet Hunter at SS. Right now, the logical choice is Edge. But, we all know that the WWE and logic don't mesh well.

[Peoples King]

Edge needs to turn heel because at the moment his character just doesnt inspire much awe. He has done nothing backstage or in the ring to show that he is the future of the WWE. In 2002 Edge was putting out top quality matches with Eddie and Angle but since his return he just hasnt been setting the world on fire. As I have said before, this is down to the writers but Edges in ring performance arent the greatest.

The thing about Edges singles style is that it would be hard to adapt it to a heel. He is a spot wrestler who does three moves in the climax of a match for the pop factor. Now Edge would have to change his style a bit to allow a credible heel turn.

Raws problem at the moment is that it has no heels to hand the belt off to. The only heel that can take the belt at the moment is Triple H and the WWE would come under fire if Hunter regained the World title once again. The Kane the WWE are pushing isnt a credible title contender. Right now the WWE has three faces of main event quality and one heel, that is bad state of affairs (Beniot,HBK&Y2J being the faces).

Orton and Benjamin need to get through their series and then Randy needs to feud with a titleless Beniot. I would hold off Orton/Jericho because that feud has money written all over it and should be held off for a while. After Randy goes through a credible title contender face, then he can step up and take the title belt.

[Mac Daddy]

i dont like the idea of orton main eventing in such an early stage of his career. yes hes gr8 and all, but think of sum other ppl who deserve these shots if he does. i personally think that vince shood re-look this. if orton ends up main eventing now, he will turn out like lesnar and may b gone, or we mite get sick of him. all he needs 2 do is pull off sum excellent IC matches with shelton or sum1, and he'd still b doing well, and wood leave him 2 main event in a year or so. maybe the best option is 2 hav him win next years royal rumble. in conclusion i think a mor deserving and talented guy is batista. batista is always shown as a tag partner and never in singles competition. batista cood crush orton any day. just wat until evolution breaks and they mite push batista in stead of him being stuck with FLAIR!.

these r just my opinions.


I think there's no chance of Randy Orton becoming another Lesnar and breaking Brock's record as the youngest champion. This is obviously just an isolated event, and has no reflection on the near future. I bet when Orton loses, he'll go onto to feud with people like Jericho, Matt Hardy, Christian, and maybe even Shelton Benjamin again. Yes, he is getting the PPV main-event, but I doubt this means Orton is becoming, by defintion, a "main-eventer".


PK - I agree. Orton's title defenses have been scarce; very scarce. I think he's only defend the strap against Foley, Edge, and RVD thus far. But the truth of the matter is, his holding the title has gave it some kind of importance that I didn't feel before he had it. Christian was a viable champion, but the WWE pretty ****ted on his title reign, and he was excluded from the Summerslam PPV, while Eric Bischoff and Shane McMahon were, and their "match" was one of high-profile. I always thought RVD was IC title material, but his last couple of runs were worthless and it made me feel like he had the belt, just to give him something to do. I will reframe to going in Jericho "reign" with any detail, since it lasted about three minutes. Orton has held the title pride and made it look prestigious. Of course, I would love for him to defend it more but the fact that he's only defended it against people who's been involved with him for a while and whose's feud was built properly, is alright with me.

[Peoples King]

Thats a good point Mac. He has definately given the title the credibilty it should have. It is just a pity that Christians title reign was messed up by the WWE because if given the chance his could have been tres entertaining.

Orton is like 23 or something so I think it is a given that he will beat Brocks record as the youngest champion. IMO though, that youngest champion thing means ****e. Randy wont be the "next Brock." If anything I could see Randy going into film like the Rock. So far both mens careers have followed pretty simular paths. The funny thing is that Randy is picking up where the Rock left off. The Rock was the last man to hold the IC title for such a long length of time.

Bottom line for me is that Randy will be the WorldHeavyweight champion by the end of this year. I would say at Survivor Series or Armegeddon it is going to be Randy vs Triple H and Randy will leave the champion.

[Unknown]

It's so good to have such good wrestling discussion going on...reminds me of the old days of IOW. Anyways, I can't help but to agree with most of what all of you have said. After dropping the IC title, Randy Orton should enter a feud with Matt Hardy as Mister Mac Man said. He could help Matt become a viable IC title contender and as People's King said, it would allow for the WWE to save the Orton/Y2J feud because it is a money feud. I would have Otron's feud with Shelton Benjamin continue into Summerslam but not as a one on feud as I think that after Vengeance their single's feud should come to an end. It would be smarter to have maybe a fatal four way matchup going into Summerslam with Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Matt Hardy, and Randy Orton. Benjamin would have the belt but Orton wouldn't be satisfied with losing to him so he'd exercise his rematch clause while at the same time other people will start to go after the IC title (giving the belt more credibility if more people want it). That way, you don't rush into a new single's feud going into Summerslam plus you'd have a classic that would probably be a candidate for MOTY. After the PPV, you could have Orton and Matt Hardy go into a feud while Benjamin and Christian feud for the IC title. Both feuds could go a couple of months. Orton could then maybe head higher up the card into a money feud with Jericho to finish out the year. Then you'd have a stronger IC title division with Benjamin, Christian, Matt Hardy, and maybe even Maven and Batista (after both receive some more building). Then in the future the belt will hopefully be defended on TV more times as it would bring back the true feel of the IC title as others have pointed out. As Chazz said, the logical choice for the title would be a Benoit/Edge matchup. At the same time though as People's King pointed out, Edge's matches are filled with many spots which would make it hard for him to adapt to a heel style. I think it can be done as many wrestlers such as the Rock and HBK have done it in the past. I do agree with People's King about the similar paths Orton and Rock have followed which leads me to believe that sometime in the future before Orton becomes champion, The Rock and Orton will feud. That would definitely propel him into main event status. As for him being too young to have the belt, well I guess he will end up going the way of the Rock and start to act later in his career. They can't just slow down his push as he is one of the few wrestlers today being pushed at just the right pace. It's just something that will have to be tackled later. Besides, having another Rock to put over superstars of the future will only help the WWE out in the long run.

[Superman33]

I like the idea of Orton vs. Benoit. I think they should continue his "Legend Killer/Living Legend" campaign by having him retain the IC belt then winning the World Heavyweight belt. Then he could either hand the IC belt to Batista or put it up in a tournament. But all this is highly unlikely.

What I think WILL happen is that Randy will lose the IC title to Shelton. Then HHH and the rest of Evolution will be unhappy that he lost the only gold that the faction had, and it will be Orton vs. HHH at Vengeance.

[The Great One]

I wouldn't give Orton the title, not for at least a good couple of months. I would leave him in the IC title and give him some main eventers to feud with to get him more heat. When the time is right, which shouldn't be long he will take the title. He has everything that signifies that he is going to be a great champ, might even tops HHH as the heel champ because he is doing a great job at playing his heel character. But i won't go that far, not yet at least. Anyway, i would not push him towards winning the title at the moment i want Benoit to have a good run with the title, and Orton to continue his run as the IC champ. This would help the IC division get some credability and the title also.

People who think Orton will become the new Brock Lesnar, he will never be like Brock. He might win the title and become the youngest champ, that doesn't mean ****. Brock, won everything while he was young that left nothing for him to win. Ever since he won everything, things went downhill because his character was becoming stale, he didn't have anyone to feud with because he already faced everyone and beat them. Then he was due to feud with Taker and lose it, but the size of his ego got the better of him and didn't want to lose. If he lost, it might of kept his character going and least give him more stuff to do.

Back onto the topic of Orton, i am sure this will stay a rumour. I think Vengeance main event for Raw will be Edge contending for the title. I will not say why because people might of not seen Raw so i won't spoil it for them. But IMO Edge will be in the main event picture at Vengeance and i think the Orton/Benjamin feud should continue into Vengeance and finish at Summerslam with Benjamin winning the IC title, and then leading to Orton either feuding with HHH or getting pushed into the Main event picture.

[Mac Daddy]

Orton losing the title wouldn't be a problem. The Intercontinental Championship already has much credibility thanks to Mr. Orton.


I agree about Brock Lesnar. There's no chance of Orton becoming the "next Brock Lesnar", because I don't think even the WWE is that stupid. I mean, they lost big with Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar was pushed too quickly, and he didn't have his personal life in order. I don't agree that Lesnar was getting stale, because he was still drawing crowds and ratings. Lesnar still had some years left in him if they slowed his de-pushed him a little, but Mr. Lesnar's personal life and ego got in the way of that.


It just might be a rumor, but the poster and the tv ad confuses me. I mean, could Orton's facing Shelton Benjamin for the second time over the IC title, be Orton's "step closer to greatness"? The only other big match I can see Orton in that goes hand-in-hand with the poster, etc., is a match with Triple H. That would mean things would have been totally shaken up by Vengeance time, and Triple H would probably have re-invented himself, positioning himself for the title at Summerslam.

[The_Wolf]

nah he couldnt be in the main event of vengence. i dont think that his anywhere near ready for a world title fued, i think he at least has another 6+ months to get near a world title shot.but i guess if its true then kane must lose to beniot, cause you couldnt have a ppv with kane vs randy for the title

[Mac Daddy]

Unknown has gotten his wish for Vengeance's main-event. It turns out, Randy Orton will not be main-eventing, and wrestlingheadlines.com has confirmed that the Vengeance main-event will be Chris Benoit vs. Edge for the World Heavyweight title.


I wouldn't have mind Orton in the main-event, but I have to admit, this is a more sensible course of action. This is a great move for the Raw Brand.