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Make no mistake about it, Sting’s appearance on Monday Night RAW and physical participation in the donnybrook that followed was a memorable moment. It was monumental enough to go down as the definite occurrence in Sting’s WWE run, however long it lasts.
Whether it does indeed go down as the peak of Sting’s tenure depends greatly on events yet to take place at Wrestlemania 31. If Triple H has his way, it will be. But that is besides the point.
What this article is about is the guy who shared the ring with The Stinger, namely Randy Orton. Of all the tremendous wrestlers who have gained prominence in WWE over the last number of years, it was Orton and Orton alone who had the distinct and unique privilege of being a part of Sting’s big moment.
Why is this?
Well, for one, who else could it be?
CM Punk is off playing grab-ass in an eight-sided sandbox. Brock Lesnar rarely shows up. Batista is a shockingly great comic (in both senses of the word) actor. Hulk Hogan can’t go anymore. Shawn Michaels won’t go anymore. Hell, Ultimate Warrior is dead as is The Undertaker! (May they both rest in peace.) The Rock lost to John Cena and hasn’t wrestled since.
Speaking of John Cena, one might have thought he would be the one Sting would gravitate towards. After all, he is the "franchise player of WWE," much as Sting was for WCW in the 1990’s. But the reality is, Cena has removed his thorny self from the side of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. He is, no doubt, still a member of The Authority’s rogues gallery, but far from the most prominent. He’s a Clock King or perhaps Mad Hatter, at this point. Sure he’s around, but who gives a damn?
Orton false allegiance to The Authority and utter disregard for the well-being of those who oppose him make him an amalgam of Two Face and Bane and we already know that Sting is the motherf’ing Joker. That’s a bad combination for Batman, er… I mean, Triple H.
The bottom line is, Cena isn’t battling the Authority anymore. He is instead pursuing a personal beef with Rusev over a mid-tier championship belt. Cena led the charge for a time, but his efforts only resulted in a return to the status quo and the firing and subsequent abuse of Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan, and Ryback, three of WWE’s most upstanding citizens!
On the other hand, Orton has stepped up and is determined to stop The Authority. As a result, he gets the spoils of working with The Stinger.
As has become my custom, I will be in attendance at Wrestlemania 31. And while I look forward to the event as a whole, I can’t help but particularly anticipate two matches on the card. They are Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins and Triple H vs. Sting. And the events of this past Monday and the intersecting of the saga of these two matches has a lot to do with that.
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OFFICIAL WRESTLER WRANKINGS FORMULA
ANY WIN = 2 POINTS
US OR INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE BOUT = 1 POINT
WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE BOUT = 3 POINTS
NON "BIG 4" PPV BONUS = 1.5X
SUMMERSLAM, SURVIVOR SERIES, ROYAL RUMBLE = 2X BONUS
WRESTLEMANIA = 3X BONUS
The WWE season begins on the day after WrestleMania 30 and culminates with WrestleMania 31. The wrestler who accumulates the most points over the course of the season, wins the coveted Wrankings Championship!
Monday Night Raw -- 3/16/15
Main Event-- 3/17/15
Smackdown -- 3/19/15
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WRESTLER WRANKINGS, WEEK 51 *TOP TEN*
1. RUSEV -- 115.5 points
2. Dolph Ziggler -- 91
3. Seth Rollins -- 84
4. John Cena -- 71
5. Roman Reigns -- 70
6. Sheamus -- 65
7. Dean Ambrose -- 64.5
8. Cesaro -- 64
9. Bad News Barrett -- 53.5
10. Bray Wyatt -- 51.5
Thanks for reading, Cagesiders. We'll see you back here next week!