The Unauthorized Story of Randy Orton and The Viper's Strike on WWE

By Michael Essany

"The Unauthorized Story of Randy Orton" is a compelling, first of its kind, and completely unauthorized work from bestselling author Michael Essany.

Randy Orton is one of the biggest superstars in WWE history. But why has the decorated third-generation talent known as the "Apex Predator" fallen so sharply from a main event performer to a mid-card filler in 2012?

Is this eye-opening work, Orton's career today is probed by industry veterans and insiders who help shed light on where the WWE is taking one of its most promising and controversial young stars.

Not a biography packed with rehashed information, this completely original and remarkably topical eBook delves into:

• Randy Orton's looming feud with Brock Lesnar
• The Undertaker’s rumored plans to have Orton end "the streak"
• Orton's rocky relationship with The Rock
• Inside details on WWE's rumored plans for Orton at WrestleMania 29 and 30
• And much, much more.

BOOK EXCERPT

Chapter 2: The Viper in Pro Wrestling Purgatory

On April 1st, 2012, WWE superstar Randy Orton turned 32 years of age.
But it wasn't a happy birthday.

For a man widely suspected of being the so-called future of the WWE for close to a decade, once again the third-generation professional wrestler and former world champion would find himself receiving anything other than a major push on sports entertainment's grandest stage.

At WrestleMania 28, Randy Orton "jobbed" to Kane - a two-decade veteran of the sport and nearing retirement from the active roster - in a defeat that some critics and wresting fans would subsequently call "an embarrassment" for the young WWE superstar.

"One year ago," observes one sports entertainment columnist, "Randy Orton was in the midst of one of the best feuds in his career: for four straight PPVs, he fought Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship, and the matches got better each time. Since losing to Mark Henry at the Hell in a Cell PPV, Orton has not gotten a title shot, and has instead been trying to elevate young guys like Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett. Over on SmackDown, however, these feuds were not getting the attention and exposure they truly deserved. This begs the question: Just how much of a top guy is Randy Orton these days?"

You Can Read More In The eBook!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sports Entertainment Publishing
• Release date: Feb 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301977505

Michael Essany

Michael Essany was the host of The Michael Essany Show from E! Entertainment Television. As a recent groom himself, Essany saw the need for an intelligent guide that would help the couple plan their wedding together.

Book preview

The Unauthorized Story of Randy Orton and The Viper's Strike on WWE

By Michael Essany

Disclaimer

Published by Michael Essany at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Michael Essany

All Rights Reserved worldwide. May not be copied or distributed without prior written permission from the author.

This eBook is not an official WWE or Randy Orton publication nor is it associated, affiliated, or otherwise endorsed by WWE or Randy Orton. To visit WWE.com, click here.

All information contained in this eBook has been obtained by exclusive interviews, online research, and information freely available in the public domain.

This eBook provides information that you read and use at your own risk.

Cover image is available royalty free and for commercial use through the personal collection of sports entertainment photos owned by Mike Randazzo. Cover image was taken April 29, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois at WWE PPV Extreme Rules.

Part 1: The Legend Killer Becomes The Legend

Randal Keith Orton was born April 1, 1980.

For a time in his youth, however, many wondered if the date upon which Randy was born - April Fool's Day - held a veritable curse over the third-generation wrestling star's life.

It was during Randy's teenage years and early twenties when the Knoxville, Tennessee-born future grappler would, admittedly, make some of the most foolish decisions of his entire life.

I grew up around it [wrestling], Orton told Jimmy Kimmel during a 2010 interview. Just like any other child growing up seeing their parents or their father doing something that maybe they want to do one day, whether that's being a doctor, or... here that happened to be professional wrestling. So I'm doing that now and living my dream. And it's great. I'm really enjoying it.

That was Randy Orton’s easy answer to the question he is most frequently asked. The hard answer isn't such a pretty one.

In his 2011 DVD profile titled Randy Orton: Evolution of a Predator, Orton admits that he didn't really dream of being a WWE superstar while still a youngster. Orton, in fact, didn't have much direction at all.

My father wrestled, my uncle wrestled and my grandfather wrestled, Orton told viewers during a recent guest appearance on George Lopez Tonight. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here. They paved the way for me.

Yet it wasn't until 1999 that Orton first began to consider the wrestling business as a professional possibility. It was a fateful decision that would lead him to OVW developmental territory at the same time John Cena, Batista, and Brock Lesnar were training for a future spot in WWE.

For Orton, the jump to wrestling came at a time when few - including Orton - had any clue as to what would become of the son of legendary WWE Hall of Famer Cowboy Bob Orton. After graduating from high school, Orton enlisted with the United States Marine Corps - a decision, as it turned out, that Orton wasn't fully prepared to make at that juncture in