A Detailed Look on Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar Feud for Summerslam

Sunday, August 24, 2016 -- The Biggest Event of the Summer will unfold as Summerslam, one of WWE’s oldest pay-per-views, makes it’s way again to the WWE Universe.

WWE Smackdown just gave us a taste of things to come as they dropped a huge bombshell announcement: It’s gonna be “The Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar vs. “The Viper” Randy Orton who will square off at Barclays Center, N.Y.

We’ll give you an in-depth look of this matchup as we explore the factors on why this is considered a dream match anticipated by many wrestling fans around the world.

The Announcement

July 8, 2016 -- Smackdown rocked the WWE Universe as well as wrestling communities in social media as they announced the Lesnar-Orton match. Of course, this match received mixed reactions at first, since many thought that Lesnar is gonna face Braun Strowman for the event, which did not happen for some reasons. Maybe WWE thinks that the Strowman-Lesnar match will be a lackluster matchup that’s why they cancelled it. Actually, there are gossips that other names like Roman Reigns, Cesaro and Kevin Owens were handpicked by WWE for this matchup, but yeah it leads to this. They will pit the former UFC champion against a returning Randy Orton.

Here are some key points that we should remember for this matchup:

The Beast’s Victory at UFC 200

Brock Lesnar’s victory over Mark Hunt at UFC 200 is one of the key features of this matchup. This elevated Lesnar’s status in the world of combat sports as one of it’s most dominating athletes.

Some are saying during match reviews that Mark Hunt doesn’t give much punches during their bout, as Lesnar dropped him down and landed some haymakers on the samoan superman's face.

Moving forward, a Lesnar return in either Raw or Smackdown is a must-see, since the Beast will return home as a winner from a hard-fought battle at UFC. Further stressing the question: Who can Stop Brock Lesnar?

Orton’s Return from Injury

After being out of WWE for several months due to a shoulder injury, the Viper will return again in the squared circle. Before being injured, he came up in a losing effort against Seth Rollins, then after that he proceeded to some lackluster feuds with Sheamus, The Wyatt Family, even participating in some tag team matches with former Shield members Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose; and even feuding with the New Day.

Actually, some wrestling fans believed that The Viper’s return would never be that impactful, especially if they put him in a match against another returning superstar which is Brock Lesnar, unless WWE has something up in its sleeve to make this feud awesome.

Lesnar’s Total Dominion

Before heading to training for UFC 200, let's admit it that Lesnar became a key player in the WWE as he pitted himself against WWE Champion Roman Reigns, a Wrestlemania street fight against Dean Ambrose and a victory against both Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt in WWE Roadblock.

RKO: The Move Perfected Over Time

The RKO is one of the most famous finishers in WWE history. Actually it is a patented Diamond Cutter popularized by ex WWE/WCW superstar Diamond Dallas Page. But what’s interesting is how Randy Orton mastered the technique and gave a striking twist to it.

Well, kidding aside with those RKO Vines you saw in the internet (though it was really funny), Let’s analyze the scenario: Yes, you can always count on Brock Lesnar to do 3 to 5 german suplexes which adds damages to his opponents before doing an F5, but you can also count on Orton to deliver the most ruthless and devastating RKOs, as he can do it everywhere. This is proven with some of his clips shown below:

Now, let’s move on to the things that I might see as pros and cons for this matchup:

Pros

A Fresh Feud is About to Start Any Moment Soon

To make it simple: Orton vs. Lesnar is one of the newest feuds that WWE creatives had made. Throughout his Summerslam career, Lesnar had been booked against superstars like John Cena, to the Undertaker and CM Punk. This one is a little different, since we’ll never know how WWE will utilize Orton against Lesnar. Will this be a war of promos between Paul Heyman and Orton, since we know Orton is also good in using the mic, or will it be an all-out brawl on every WWE episodes heading to Summerslam. Actually we never know, and that’s what makes us even excited for the match.

Two Worlds Collide Once Again

Both wrestlers have been part of WWE’s developmental territory OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) before being part of WWE. These two knows each other so well outside the ring, but they never hang out in the ring so much. Their first recorded match-up was in Smackdown on September 5, 2002, where Lesnar wins by pinfall via F5.

In that match, Lesnar was the current WWE champion while Randy Orton was a newbie in WWE, and after that many things have changed. Orton went to Raw and became a part of Evolution along with names such as Triple H, Batista and Ric Flair, while Brock dominated Smackdown and had feuds with Benoit, Angle, and Taker.

During Brock’s last match in the company at Wrestlemania 20 against Bill Goldberg, Orton, along with his Evolution buddies faced the Rock and Sock connection (The Rock and Mick Foley). Then, as Brock goes to NFL, then to NJPW. Orton was pushed from a mid-carder to one of WWE’s top heels, feuding with the likes of John Cena, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H.

It’s just a matter of time of when these two top tier WWE superstars come face to face, and what a perfect way to do that is to let these guys duke it out at Summerslam.

Orton’s Booking for Summerslam

Orton had used many personas throughout his WWE career. He became the Legend Killer, where he targeted much of WWE’s hall of famers, then he became the Apex Predator, which countered Triple H’s cerebral assassin moniker, and leaded his own stable Legacy from 2008 to 2010. Then because of his swiftness in executing the RKO finisher to much of his opponents, it gained him the nickname “The Viper”.

His viper persona is the gimmick that he needs to be using at Summerslam since who he will be facing is the Beast. This will add a more exciting turn in their feud since Orton with this persona is very exciting to watch, here are other clips below which shows his feud with Christian, and with a very fiery temper, even a beast like Lesnar should stay out in his way.

Punt in the Head: A Threat for Lesnar?

Another thing that factors in this matchup is Orton’s punt which is nothing but sweet. Okay enough of the RKO fest, but yeah I really can't help but laugh at it. Here’s another sudden RKO to Seth Rollins on Raw, proving Orton can hit the RKO anywhere. Excited to see Lesnar take one of these.

Back to that punt in the head, this is one of those moves that the WWE is trying to ban, because of its violent nature. But I wonder if Orton try to use this against Lesnar at Summerslam?

Cons

Lesnar’s Moveset - A Threat for Orton

Orton has this history of having difficulties in handling suplexes from guys like Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit, and to have this match against Brock Lesnar, someone with the nickname of “Suplex City” would be a huge disadvantage for Orton. Here is a clip where Lesnar finishes Bo Dallas with a barrage of suplexes before ending him with a vicious F5. Even I’m starting to worry about Orton’s chances on this one….

Orton’s Injury and Ring Rust

Another con that I saw in this one is Orton’s injury. Is it too early for someone like Randy Orton, who is just in the midst of recovering from a shoulder injury, to take suplexes from Brock Lesnar? That one factor alone can make the difference already. If we will use the technicalities of fight science once you do a suplex, the first ones that are gonna land the mat during impact is the back of someone’s head, and his shoulders.

Another thing is the time lapse before Orton’s return. He would probably have ring rust once he returns to action, so Orton must train heavily for this one.

Lesnar’s Extensive UFC and WWE Background

Brock Lesnar has an accomplished UFC background as he had clashed with the likes of Frank Mir, Alistair Overeem, and even winning the UFC heavyweight championship from a legend like Randy Couture. You can also add his recent winning of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Cena at Summerslam 2014.

Yes, You Heard it Right : It’s Orton’s Booking for Summerslam

Actually, fans in the wrestling world as of now, doesn’t know how they will embrace Orton’s character. Like what I said, Orton’s personality had changed as time progresses. Imagine WWE as a poker player with sets of card in his hand: Any cards that they lay on the deck may favor or disappoint them. Let’s hope for the best and wish that WWE to use a perfect gimmick for Orton once he enters Summerslam and dance with Lesnar.

Prediction

Okay, to be straightforward, I don’t actually see Orton to win against Lesnar, to due body size, ability and prowess. I’m actually anticipating a “Randy Orton Snuff Film” or a “Randy Orton Massacre” in the works, but I do hope for WWE to work better in this one.

What’s imminent as of now is Orton’s appearance in WWE Battleground where he will be a guest in the Highlight Reel hosted by Chris Jericho. With Jericho’s tenure now as one of WWE’s best heels, expect him to be dropped by the returning Orton.