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This week WWE star Randy Orton caused quite a stir in the pro wrestling world when he posted the above photo on Instagram, leading fans to speculate on the real meaning of Orton's cryptic photo.
The photo appears to be some sort of All Elite Wrestling tease, as Orton can be seen standing next to a sign which reads "Elite." Moreover, Orton tagged names such as AEW Champion Chris Jericho in the post, and The Viper also tagged several WWE stars, including names such as The Revival, Luke Harper and Elias. The WWE names tagged in the photo have been linked to previous reports of unhappiness in WWE, with reports suggesting The Revival and Luke Harper previously requested their releases from WWE, and are awaiting the expiration of their contracts so they can leave the company.
Orton's post on Instagram could mean several different things, as The Viper could be angling for a better deal with WWE by leveraging possible talks with AEW. The post could also mean Orton has real intentions of leaving WWE and signing with AEW, and of course the post could simply be the former WWE Champion trolling internet fans.
Given the above, let's take a look at 5 theories on why Randy Orton should pursue a run in All Elite Wrestling.
#5 Randy Orton's WWE run has grown stale
Randy Orton is a longtime veteran of WWE, having established himself as not only a top star in the company, but as a future Hall of Famer. The Viper has had numerous classic feuds during his years in WWE, and has been a staple top talent in the company since he made his main roster debut years ago.
But like anything else, time has taken a toll on the freshness of Randy Orton, and his act has become somewhat stale in WWE. Unless he is working with new talents, there are few feuds Orton can have that have not been done before, and in general, his run has become stale. A run in another company, specifically AEW, could do wonders to rebirth Orton's career.
#4 Randy Orton's contract is expiring in 2020
Back in 2010, WWE locked up Randy Orton for the long haul as the company signed Orton to a 10 year deal which is set to expire in 2020.
It remains unknown what type of incentives or bonuses Randy Orton receives as a part of his current WWE deal, however, The Viper has been under the same contract for the past 10 years, and he is likely looking to secure a new deal.
Locking talents up for a decade is a great score for WWE, as the company can rest easy knowing top talents will be with the company for years to come, but for the talent, it likely means renegotiating will not be possible for a very long time.
Pro Wrestling currently finds itself in a time where big money options lie outside of WWE, specifically in AEW, and talents are even finding ways to make good money on the independent scene.
With Randy Orton having been under a WWE contract with 10 years come 2020, Orton has missed out on the opportunity to negotiate a massive money deal, and a run in AEW could provide massive money similar to what Chris Jericho is currently making with the promotion.
#3 Randy Orton could reinvent himself in AEW
There have been many iterations of Randy Orton during his run in WWE, with The Viper spanning time as a babyface and a heel, with most fans feeling Orton works best when he is a heel.
Throughout his entire WWE career, Randy Orton is probably best known for his time as The Legend Killer, during which Orton was a maniacal psychopath hellbent on destroying everything and everyone in WWE. Orton was credited with putting many legends out to pasture during his time as The Legend Killer, and he also used The Punt Kick, a devastating finishing move which has since been banned in WWE.
WWE's move to PG programming, however, has largely disabled Randy Orton from being the heel character he has the ability to play, and the ushering in of the PG era stripped Orton of some of the characteristics which made him at one point the top heel in pro wrestling.
Should Orton make the jump to All Elite Wrestling, which is not a PG company, The Viper could spread his wings a bit and reinvent himself as a much edgier heel who could reestablish himself as one of the baddest characters in pro wrestling.
#2 Randy Orton could help boost AEW into the mainstream
Since its debut on TNT, All Elite Wrestling has drawn very solid TV ratings, hitting over a million viewers in each of its three episodes.
AEW is also drawing viewers via platforms other than TV, with its YouTube series AEW Dark performing well since its inception.
Despite AEW getting off to a solid start in its run on TNT, the company is still missing a top talent that could really put AEW over the top as a major promotion, and bring the company into the mainstream world in addition to the world of pro wrestling.
While Randy Orton might not be a name akin to John Cena or The Rock, Orton certainly has a big enough name that if he made the jump to AEW, he could help usher the company into the world of mainstream TV programming, and introduce the product to a wider range of audience and wrestling fans.
AEW is certainly on the right track by utilizing its early days on TV to help establish new talents and focus on the future stars of the company, but a name like Randy Orton could really help the company reach viewership numbers similar to that of WWE Raw and SmackDown.
#1 Randy Orton could reinvent himself in AEW
Randy Orton has always been a strong talent on the microphone, with his promo skills being among the best in WWE.
Orton also enjoyed a run as part of the Evolution stable, in which he bettered himself working alongside other major talents such as Ric Flair, Triple H and Batista.
Following his departure from Evolution, Orton even formed a stable of his own called Legacy, which allowed him to work closely alongside Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, Jr.
In addition to being a great talent on the mic, Randy Orton is also very gifted in the ring, and his in-ring ability is something which has been downplayed in the past few years in WWE. Orton has had a limited amount of truly great matches in the past several years, and it could be that his feud options have become limited in WWE due to the amount of time he has spent in the company.
Should Orton make the jump to AEW, the opportunity would present itself for The Viper to have great matches with the likes of Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega, and prove to fans that Orton is amongst one of the all-time greats inside the ring.
Should Randy Orton sign with AEW? Let us know in the comment section and be sure to follow SK on Facebook and Twitter!
