Randy Orton - The Evolution of a Predator DVD (Disc 3) Review

Match 1: Vengeance 2006 - Randy Orton vs. Kurt Angle
Looking to avenge his loss to Kurt Angle at ECW One Night Stand, Raw's newest superstar acquisition in Randy Orton was in perfect position to do so here. Angle was pretty much in his prime here and was just an animal. You really had to admire his passion and intensity in his matches. That statement rang to be true as Angle brought the intensity once more to Orton. Angle was the aggressive one as Orton played his role as a heel brilliantly. Doing his best to escape from any type of Angle's offenses and finally resorting to exposing a turnbuckle. Orton is able to counter an Ankle Lock by driving Angle into the exposed turnbuckle before hitting a sweet RKO for the finish. Great opening match for the show that allows Orton to even the score against Angle. Angle's loss didn't really hurt him when taking into consideration the turnbuckle. Shame they never made a rubber match between the two.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4

Match 2: Summerslam 2006 - Randy Orton vs. Hulk Hogan (Taken from WWE Summerslam 2006 Review)
This feels like last year all over again with Hulk Hogan being prominently featured on another Summerslam show. This time, it's against the young, brash Randy Orton. And this time, Hogan puts his opponent over. One of those things I just typed is true and it's not the latter. Crowd is hot for both guys and it's pretty split as tons of boos and cheers are ringing down for both guys. The match was pretty much what you would expect. There really isn't much to be said. It didn't really carry the same vibe or flow like his match last year against Shawn Michaels but Orton held his own and carried Hogan to a damn good match. Orton looked to score the win at one point by hitting his RKO until the referee discovered Hogan's foot was on the bottom rope. Hogan then Hulks up, points, kicks, and drops for the win. Having Orton go up against the biggest legend of all time makes sense, but he's definitely in a tight spot. There's no reason at all for Hogan to be going over guys like Shawn Michaels or Randy Orton. They actively compete on the roster while Hogan does not at all. A loss against either does not hurt Hogan's reputation whatsoever, but a loss for Michaels or Orton baffles the audience. Why are these guys losing to an old man? How am I supposed to believe these guys are legitimate main eventers? Sure, the argument can be made that Orton even being in the same match as Hogan is cool but to me, what really did any of this accomplish? Where does Orton even go from here? Plus, they didn't even let Orton drop Hogan after the match!
Winner: Hulk Hogan
Rating: **3/4

Match 3: The Great American Bash 2007 - Texas Bull Rope - Randy Orton vs. Dusty Rhodes (Taken from WWE The Great American Bash 2007 Review)
You can't have a Great American Bash without Dusty Rhodes! Mr. Legend Killer looks to take out another legend as Randy Orton's challenge to Rhodes in a match backfired when Rhodes called for a Texas Bull Rope match. There's only so much you can do here but the stimulation really covered Rhodes and his limits. They made the match pretty believable despite the ridiculous circumstances, Rhodes was the veteran of the match and used the rope to his advantage. Orton looked like a slithering snake out there and played his role perfectly. Rhodes got the majority of the offense before Orton finally drilled Rhodes with the bell for the finish. Orton looked to punt Rhodes in his skull afterwords before Cody Rhodes comes out for the save. Better than I expected but that really isn't saying much considering this is a PPV. Either way, they did the best they could with what they were given and it allows Orton to add a legend under his Legend Killer belt.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: *1/2

Match 4: WrestleMania XXIV - WWE Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H
Some fantastic entrances for these guys as it is time for Raw's WrestleMania main event. Funny to see how white John Cena is compared to the tanned bodies of Randy Orton and Triple H. I remember the hype being pretty high for this match and it falling flat on its face. While I won't go as far as saying it fell flat on its face, it definitely didn't live up to its expectations. Everything just felt so rushed and I wasn't able to feel the tension between the three guys that was built so well before this. However, that's not to say I didn't enjoy the match. I could almost compare this match to the triple threat match at WrestleMania 22 for the World Heavyweight Championship. There was never really a dull moment but I never really got the chance to stop and digest everything. A rather forgettable match with a couple cool spots like Orton delivering a DDT simultaneously to Cena and Triple H off the middle rope or Cena hoisting both Orton and Triple H on his back for the FU. The finish saw Orton punt Triple H in the skull and cover Cena for the win as he escapes with the WWE Championship. Although Cena had a lot of steam coming from his return at the Royal Rumble, Orton was ultimately the right choice here. He was for sure the wild card of everything and got his big WrestleMania win.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4

Match 5: Breaking Point 2009 - WWE Championship - I Quit - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena
The last time I scored this match was when it happened about seven years ago. I was a junior in high school so I'm going to see how my **** score holds up in 2016 as a college student. This match was in 2009 and at the peak of the Randy Orton vs. John Cena feud as the very tanned Orton would be automatically disqualified if anybody were to interfere into the match on his behalf. I'm not sure what I saw in this match back in the day but this was easily one of the most dragged out I Quit matches I have ever seen. Maybe that's me taking into consideration how many times I've seen these guys wrestle against each other or maybe I just had completely different outlooks on this match from now and then. Orton was in control for so much of the match that it got me sucked out of the match. He tied up Cena with the handcuffs and never let up after that. They spent the huge chunk of the match just having Orton toy with Cena before Cena was able to escape and hit an STF to have Orton quit. I love John Cena, he is probably one of my favorites of all time. I mean that. But this was the type of match that made people really dislike him. He got dominated throughout the entire match before finally reversing the tide and earning another win and another championship. It's always a trip to relive old matches and read my reviews of them from back in the day.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: **
Original Rating: ****

Match 6: Hell in a Cell 2010 - WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - Randy Orton (c) vs. Sheamus
I question why this match had to be inside a Hell in a Cell. I hate having matches inside the friendly confines without having blood feuds. The match itself was fine and I was able to feel the tension between the two despite my strong thoughts of having it inside Hell in a Cell. The flow and pacing of the match was fine but again, the lack of focus on the actual cage itself was a distraction. They brought out the steel steps and made it a focal point of the match where Randy Orton was able to hit an RKO to Sheamus atop the steps for the victory. Good match as their styles blended nicely here as they would go on to have several more matches down the line and many more in 2016. Would have been the exact same match if the cage wasn't taken into play. I liked the match and I liked the build to the RKO at the end but this is Hell in a Cell, this should have been so much more.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4

Match 7: WrestleMania XXVII - CM Punk vs. Randy Orton
Another match that I reviewed back in the day but will be giving a second look at it. Randy Orton is nursing an injury to one of his legs as CM Punk looks to take advantage of it. Should quickly note what a distraction the commentary was as we were in the midst of the Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler feud with Josh Matthews trying to play peacemaker. I feel like WrestleMania matches need to separate themselves from other matches on the card along with matches that are normally seen on regular PPVs. I liked the focus on Orton's injured knee but the action was a little too slow for me to really get into. I didn't feel the hate the two had like I did on my first viewing. The match was fine but didn't really get me or the crowd over so much. The ending came when Punk flew off the top rope looking to hit a clothesline before getting smashed with a slick RKO. Another big WrestleMania win for Orton.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: **3/4
Original Rating: ***1/4

Match 8: SmackDown 2011 - World Heavyweight Championship - Christian (c) vs. Randy Orton
With Randy Orton being drafted to the blue brand, he stepped up his game to another level. This match is fairly infamous for Christian losing his first World Heavyweight Championship in less than a week. While the commercial break did cut into the match, this was still a great television main event as the chemistry between the two was just so great. It's always fun to watch two babyfaces go at it and it was definitely interesting to see these two just have a straight up wrestling match. Christian wasn't able to hit his Killswitch and ended up suffering his fate as Orton pulled the trigger first as he hit a sweet RKO as Christian leaped off the second rope. Just like that, Christian's reign came to an end. This match was truly the turning point for Orton in 2011, he would go on to put on some incredible matches and arguably become the wrestler of the year. We all questioned why he won the belt so quickly but it ultimately became a great decision as the feud these two would go on to have would be the best of the year.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***

Overall Thoughts and Rating:
Disc 3 of this DVD gives us a very broad range of Randy Orton. We were able to see the fairly new Randy Orton in 2006 to the seasoned veteran in 2011 where he really culminated as a performer. While the match quality wasn't the best, I liked the idea of displaying Orton's evolution and showcase his biggest matches throughout this time frame.
Rating: 6/10