WWE RAW: 5 reasons why Randy Orton hit an RKO on Beth Phoenix

As we mentioned on "things WWE subtly told us on RAW" this week, this is some of the best work of Randy Orton's career - and by his best in the past 5-6 years or more. While he had a great storyline with the Wyatt Family between 2016-17, the pay off wasn't good.

This is undoubtedly the most sadistic that we've seen Randy Orton in a while and it started with Edge, continued with Matt Hardy, and took a whole new turn when he hit the RKO on Beth Phoenix.

The entire segment was fantastic, with Phoenix getting emotional, all while Orton tried to justify his "love" for Edge and why he did what he did to him. The ending left everyone in a state of shock and it's arguably the best part of Monday Night RAW right now (with WON stating that the ratings have been best during these segments).

Here are five reasons why Orton hit the RKO on Beth Phoenix.

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#5. Beth Phoenix is a pro who can take an RKO

She took it better than most

The good thing about Beth Phoenix is that throughout the last few years, she's done a great job to maintain her ring shape and stay away from ring rust. This has allowed her to make a comeback, most notably last year at WrestleMania 35 when she returned to team up with Natalya in an attempt to capture the Women's Tag Team titles.

There are rumors that she could be back to team up with Natalya at WrestleMania this year as well and even though she's been retired for a while now, her NXT commentary role hasn't kept her from being able to take bumps.

She proved that she can take an RKO like a pro and it's great that she did so for the sake of the storyline.

#4. To add a whole new element to the storyline

It took a whole new turn

With wrestling, it's not often that we get storylines that have many different elements going for it. Usually, storylines in pro wrestling are fairly straightforward and rivalries are simple. However, when WWE does go through with a storyline that has multiple elements going, it's truly something to behold.

One of the reasons why fans were so invested in 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt was not just because of his out-of-the-box character, but the fact that he put so much work into it that there are many different elements to the character that can continue to play out over the next few years.

We haven't even scratched the surface with that character, but given that there's only over a month to build to this rivalry on RAW, WWE has to speed it up a bit. Even so, Randy Orton attacking Beth Phoenix added a whole new element to the story that's going to get fans invested as soon as next week. We commend WWE for that.

#3. A reason for Edge to return - to fuel the story

He is inevitable

Edge took the beatdown like a pro the night after the Royal Rumble and unsurprisingly, was written out for the entire month of February. The next episode of RAW is on March 10th, which means that there are 5 more episodes before WrestleMania 36.

Given that there's still time, we can expect Edge to return in two weeks, just so WWE has long enough to build to the story without dragging it on while also not being short on time and having to rush the rivalry.

However, the beatdown of Matt Hardy, and more importantly, Beth Phoenix, has not only added a new element to the story but is fuel for a big Edge return. The pop when his music hits will be louder than ever and given how well Randy Orton has been doing as a heel since January, it's a perfect set-up for Edge to return as the biggest babyface in the company. He retired as a face and is returning as one too.

#2. To make the rivalry as personal as possible

Randy Orton beating Edge with a steel chair

One of the things that WWE often lacks is a rivalry that feels personal. While one could argue that the Bobby Lashley-Rusev feud over Lana was "personal", the execution and character work and worlds apart.

It's not often that we get to see a rivalry in WWE that feels so personal but thanks to their history from 13-14 years ago as Rated-RKO, they already had a base to build their story on.

Orton's heel turn and incredible character-work have only done more to make it personal and he must be given credit for that. Adding Beth Phoenix was always going to be a major fuel for the storyline and after Orton's great promo and Phoenix's tears, the RKO made it that much more brutal.

It added a personal element to the rivalry and as of now, it seems to be the only WrestleMania feud that genuinely feels heated and personal. It's always good to have that kind of a rivalry and we hope it pays off well.

#1. To reaffirm Randy Orton as a sadistic villain

Randy Orton took it to a whole new level

This is the Randy Orton that we truly missed seeing. When he was still a young rising prospect, he made his name as "The Legend Killer" - a sadistic heel who would go after anyone and everyone.

Women certainly weren't off-limits to his assaults either and Beth Phoenix isn't the first woman to experience the RKO. Orton admitted a few years ago that he's far more comfortable being a heel and he said this while being an established babyface on SmackDown.

He turned heel in 2018 but the run didn't quite have the same effect and results as one might have hoped. It took Edge to return to end his short-lived babyface run on RAW. And perhaps his return after 9 years motivated Orton, who normally isn't known to put in a 100% (not in the past decade, anyway) seems to be giving it his all in this rivalry.

RKO'ing Beth Phoenix reaffirmed him as the sadistic villain of old - which is exactly what he needed at this time.