Job Security

There are currently rumours going around that WWE wants to fire Randy Orton due to his second violation of their Wellness Policy. I will be truly amazed if that ends up happening.

At this point in time I believe the only reason WWE would release ‘The Viper’ is if he violated the Wellness Policy for a third time (which would leave them with no choice but to future endeavour him) or if he requested his release (and even that wouldn’t necessarily be agreed to). They will not do it by choice because Orton is of great use to them.

‘The Apex Predator’s’ popularity may not be what it was when he turned babyface in the first half of 2010 but he still provokes strong reactions from crowds and remains one of the company’s most over wrestlers. Looking passed the question of popularity Orton is one of WWE’s most accomplished grapplers. His matches are usually among the best on any show he appears on and he has developed the useful ability to help young stars advance even when beating them. They may not acknowledge the problem too often but WWE will be very aware that they are in need of fresh stars. They’ll know Orton is one of the few guys who can help in the building process too.

Those rumours I mentioned above state that he’s difficult to work with. I’m sure there’s an element of truth to that but WWE has dealt with difficult stars before and will again in the future. If Orton is difficult it is irrelevant because the promotion will be willing to overlook a lot to keep a star of his standing under contract and productive.

Wade Barrett benefitted from a feud with Randy Orton at the start of the year

Orton is currently suspended (obviously) and I expect that when he comes back he will be met with a significantly reduced push. WWE will understandably be wary about committing a lot to him again until they’re certain he can be relied upon. That can only come with time. I suspect that within a few months of his return (which he will be eligible to make on July 27^th) he will be playing a heel. He’s done good work as a face but the company is running out of options for him in the role. A return to the dark side would help to freshen the guy up and allow him to work with some new opponents.

Hypothetically speaking if Orton were to leave WWE he could make a tidy living by signing up with a Japanese promotion and would inevitably receive a job offer from TNA too (perhaps they could induct him into their Hall of Fame upon his debut). Appearances for standout indies Ring of Honor and Dragon Gate USA would be unlikely but there are dozens of small-time companies that would pay what would assuredly be a hefty sum to have Orton headline their shows. After a year of that I am convinced WWE would hire him back.

The important thing to remember here is that Orton will not be going anywhere unless WWE’s hand is forced. I hope that doesn’t happen anytime soon.

Bourne Again

On Tuesday  17^th January Matthew ‘Evan Bourne’ Korklan was suspended for violating the WWE Wellness Policy. This is his second violation, and suspension, in less than three months. He previously tested positive for a banned synthetic marijuana named Spice in October and served a suspension from November 1^st to  November 30^th.
 

That he has been suspended again roughly one month after returning tells us he clearly hasn’t learnt anything from the unpaid, unofficial holiday. Instead of coming back and keeping his nose clean (both metaphorically and literally) he has thrown away the biggest push of his WWE career. He was chosen, alongside Kofi Kingston, to become the focal point of the promotion’s tag team division (such as it is) guaranteed Bourne appearances on television and pay-per-view as well as the backing of the company’s merchandising department. That’s not a bad situation for a mid-card performer to be in.

It seemed odd that WWE elected to keep the tag team titles on Air Boom throughout the duration of the first suspension, but it indicated that the duo were still valued and the intention to push them was still there. They were clearly willing to overlook Bourne’s transgression and resume the push because that’s exactly what they did.

Unfortunately for Bourne WWE is not the kind of environment that gives small, disposable performers chance after chance. Top guys like Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy have suffered lengthy suspensions (and a sacking in Hardy’s case) for this sort of behaviour so there’s no way Bourne is going to escape unscathed. It’s also worth pointing out that there are dozens of high-flying guys on the independent circuit who could replace Bourne’s smiley underdog babyface persona with ease. He would be very easy to replace.

That Bourne gave no thought to how his actions would affect Kofi Kingston is what I find most irritating about the situation. Kofi has been shuffled up and down the WWE ranks, in and out of prominence, for years now. He’d finally become a regular performer on TV again thanks to the Air Boom unit and now that’s over through no fault of his own.

Evan Bourne performs a lovely Shooting Star Press, but so do a lot of guys on the independent circuit.

  

Perhaps that’s a pessimistic attitude. Maybe WWE will reinstate the team when Bourne’s latest suspension has been served. Maybe they will replace Bourne and give someone else the chance to team with Kofi each week on TV. Maybe ‘The Dreadlocked Dynamo’ will be returned to the singles ranks and become a featured performer there. If any of these things happened it would make Bourne’s behaviour slightly more tolerable.

Hopefully Matthew Korklan will use the next two months to get whatever issues he has with banned substances sorted out. While he’s at it he could work on his TV character a bit and try to improve his verbal skills. If he has to sit out he can at least make it work to his advantage. If he doesn’t then he may be getting future endeavoured in the not too distant future.