WWE: A Look At Becoming A Successful Third Generation Superstar (Part 2)

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In part one, we took a look at The Rock and what it took for him to become a successful third generation superstar. In part two, we will dive into another superstar who has found success as a WWE third generation superstar, Randy Orton.

Orton is the grandson of Bob Orton Sr. and son of WWE Hall of Famer “Cowboy” Bob Orton. Orton Sr. was one of the most dominate wrestlers in the early NWA, and was also one of the innovators of the piledriver. While he never wrestled in the WWE, his influence among the wrestling world is still felt today. Orton Sr. became one of the original dirty heels of wrestling by becoming the first to use a cast (which he placed on his left arm after breaking it) to his advantage by striking his opponents with it while the ref was not looking; he was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

Orton’s WWE career began in Smackdown!, as he first gained popularity in a series of matches with Hardcore Holly. After being drafted to RAW a few months later, Orton joined Evolution alongside Triple H, Ric Flair and Batista. It was during this time that Orton started becoming more well known, as he was quickly emerging to be a top superstar in WWE. Once he broke apart of Evolution, Orton developed his new gimmick, The Legend Killer. He was constantly working with WWE legend’s who were putting him over, which helped solidify his place as a top competitor. Ultimately, this led to Orton becoming the youngest Heavyweight Champion of all time at the ripe age of 24.

Throughout his career, Orton has always been in the main event picture. His talent was, and still is, simply too good not to be. While most characters quickly become stale, Orton has taken initiative into keeping his fresh. After the Legend Killer gimmick, Orton became The Viper. Instead of battling legends, he now focuses on the WWE title picture while using his smooth skills to swiftly wrestle his way to victories. Always armed with the RKO as his finisher, he can and will deliver it any time to earn a victory, similar to a viper.

Orton is still a top heel in the business and one of the best wrestlers in the industry. Similar to The Rock, Orton’s skills and popularity are largely greater than those of his grandfather and father. One of the reasons for his popularity can be directly related to the freedom he has to explore his own character and not being tied down to the generations before him. It is probable that if Orton was to start his career as, for example, “Cowboy” Randy Orton, he might not have gone over with fans as well as he did. Orton was pushed into the spotlight from Day 1 and is still running with it today.

Looking at Orton and The Rock leads me to believe that in order to thrive as a WWE third generation superstar, the superstar needs to have a character that separates themselves from the previous generations. Stay tuned for Part 3, where I will focus on failures from third generation superstars and why they failed, such as Ted Dibiase Jr. and Curtis Axel.

Jason Russo is a professional wrestling writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @JasonRusso25 and “Like” him on Facebook.