WWE Raw: What R-K-Bro may portend for Orton & Riddle

Look, admittedly, I am not a fan of Riddle. Even taking out the non-wrestling issues with Riddle, his character since moving from NXT has just been annoying to the point of go-away heat.

That’s to say that WWE may have found a route to make Riddle not just palatable, but likable in the future.

The Apr. 26 episode of WWE Raw saw Riddle team with Randy Orton for the first time, forming R-K-Bro.

To Orton’s credit, he gave a masterclass in wrestling acting during his interactions with Riddle. First, in the backstage segment that formed the team (remember that Riddle approached Orton about teaming last week, which also saw Riddle defeat Orton by rollup), Orton reluctantly to the point of near self-implosion agreed to team with Riddle.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1386859459906048001

How Orton catches himself when Riddle responds to his quip about not knowing what planet Riddle’s from (“I’m from Earth!”) and Riddle’s response about having nothing in common (“Except we’re both from Earth”) made me cackle.

That exasperated sigh has been my reaction every time I’ve seen Riddle on screen. I feel your pain, Orton.

Orton’s trepidation of even broaching the topic with Riddle was so good, and him walking away with the look of, “What the hell did I just get myself into?” was great.

The match was good, as you’d expect from these two and their opponents, Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin. Predictably, R-K-Bro went over, with Orton hitting his draping DDT on Benjamin after pausing and (again reluctantly) deciding to tag in Riddle, who hit the Floating Bro to gain the victory.

Also, we knew exactly what was going to happen to Alexander & Benjamin, and I’m mad and sad we were right.

Orton’s masterclass in wrestling acting continued after the match as he refused to pose with Riddle in victory, instead of leaving the ring. As Riddle pointed at Orton from the second turnbuckle, nodding his head and yelling, “R-K-Bro!” Orton walked up the ramp with a slight smirk on his face.

Was that a smirk of this might work, wait until I drop him with an RKO, or why did I agree to this? The beauty is it could be all three.

If you want to keep laughing at Orton’s wonderful reactions, there’s this WWE Network Exclusive that was uploaded to Twitter.

The best part is when Orton replied to Riddle saying he was going to text him with, “I beg of you, please don’t,” and just walking away.

I had to stifle laughter so as not to wake my partner, sleeping in preparation for work in the morning.

Now, the question is what does this portend for the futures of both men?

The easy and most logical answer is they’ll challenge for the Tag Team Championship. By the way, it’s three weeks running now that A.J. Styles & Omos haven’t appeared on Raw with nary a mention, and they’re the Tag Team Champion.

However, I think this association could proverbially function as a “clean slate” for both men. For Orton, after his widely-panned feud with The Fiend, this not only represents a new angle, but also a character shift. He’s gone from brooding and callous to slightly understanding and willing to step into a new experience.

For Riddle, after being so thoroughly beaten by Sheamus to lose the United States Championship and portrayed as a character so annoying you just want to punch him square in the face, this pairing could work to rehabilitate his wrestling character.

These two have a chemistry together that made their interactions not seem as scripted; they played off of each other well. They both seem highly invested in this angle if one night is any indication.

In the macro, I think it’s accurate to say that very few, if any, WWE wrestlers/managers/announcers are phoning in their matches or appearances. Everyone seems to be putting their all into their characters and matches, so applause there.

While most fans seemingly think a heel Orton is best, in my opinion, an enigmatic Orton is best. We really don’t know what his endgame is at this point, as I mentioned earlier. I think most of us predict he will turn on Riddle, as his history would suggest, but Orton’s acting makes that more of a question than a statement, which adds further intrigue.

For Riddle, now that he’s paired with someone whose character will reign in some more of his hyperbolic tendencies that some acts, like The New Day, exacerbated, he may start endearing himself more to fans.

Not all viewers of Raw watch NXT, meaning not all saw his run there. If all they know of Riddle is what they’ve seen first on Smackdown and now on Raw, then a bit of character rehab through Orton being the more serious veteran is warranted.

These two men also bring credentials with them into this makeshift tag team as Orton has held pretty much every title during his tenure in WWE and Riddle was the most recent United States Champion prior to its current holder in Sheamus. Riddle also has his legitimate mixed martial arts background to draw from (maybe I should go re-watch season seven of The Ultimate Fighter…).

On a show where the Tag Team Champion have been absent to the point that they might reach 30 days before they defend the titles and be stripped of them (if it was the 90s), and with no discernible top tag team contender, they could quickly make their way to a title match, if not at WrestleMania Backlash then at Money in the Bank.

Their interactions both as they chase the titles and then become the holders would add further intrigue and curiosity as to how exactly the team may or may not implode. Would Orton just accept his fate and run with Riddle’s carefree attitude? Will Riddle adopt some more of the serious tendencies that Orton portrays? What if Riddle is the one to turn on Orton? What if Riddle really does become Orton’s protégé?

The fact there are that many questions with as many paths has me more invested in both Orton and Riddle than I have been in either in a long, long time.

My hope is that WWE doesn’t rush things with these two. Give them a nice, slow, long burn. Have it all culminate at next year’s WrestleMania in Dallas. If built correctly and the story told well, this could be a marquee matchup that becomes a touchstone in both men’s careers.