Shortly after Randy Orton said he valued winning titles over making kids smile and called Matt Cardona a “mark-ass stooge” and “indie nerd” on SmackDown, he came face-to-face with his old friend, Grammy winner Jelly Roll.
Instead of judging “The Viper” for dissing Cardona and brutalizing Cody Rhodes the week before, Jelly offered encouragement. He praised the good in Orton and what he means to WWE.
And that’s where Jelly messed up.
“Every single week in these hallways, I see it in their eyes,” Jelly
said, referring to the WWE superstars. “You light this place up.”
Then came the line that drew a death stare: “This is the same hallways that used to be afraid of you.”
Used to be.
As soon as the words left Jelly’s mouth, Orton dropped his head, furrowed his brow, and stared a hole in Jelly’s soul. More precisely, Orton marked him for death.
RKO Everybody
Explaining why he bloodied Rhodes seven days earlier, Orton said he wasn’t sure he could be the version of himself he needed to be to beat “The American Nightmare” at WrestleMania to win a 15th world title. But once Rhodes gave him the green light to be himself, Orton hit the gas and beat his ass.
It’s something Orton failed to do when they met in the King of the Ring finals last June. Despite their familial relationship, Rhodes targeted Orton’s surgically repaired back, an injury that nearly kept him out for two years.
To his credit, Orton tried to tap into his old self, but it was half-hearted. He brought in a steel chair to distract the referee, then exposed a turnbuckle. When he went to ram Rhodes into it, he hesitated.
That pause was enough. Rhodes recovered, drove Orton’s back and ribs into the exposed steel, and finished him with a Cross Rhodes.
Rhodes celebrated and praised Orton, who seethed outside the ring. And he should have. That’s what happens when people are no longer afraid of you.
Clearly, Jelly Roll isn’t afraid, because there he was on Friday, preaching love and even bringing up Orton’s role as a husband and father.
This Friday on SmackDown, Jelly is scheduled to settle a brewing rivalry with Kit Wilson. If Orton wants to make a statement, especially with Rhodes returning that night, breaking Cardona’s arm last week isn’t enough. He needs to put Jelly’s kind soul down to prove he still has that venom in him.
Only then will the locker room, and more importantly, the Undisputed WWE Champion, fear Orton again.
