COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the leadup to WWE Fastlane, Randy Orton made no bones about why he was challenging Bobby Roode for the United States Championship: It was the one title he’d yet to hold, he wanted to fill out his trophy case, and The Glorious One was just the guy who was unlucky enough to be in his path.
Consider the Grand Slam completed. The Apex Predator slithers into the illustrious club for the first time despite an outstanding effort from Roode, who came into the match with just as much to prove, in his own way, as Orton. The Glorious One traveled a hard road to get to this point and wanted to walk into WrestleMania as U.S. Champion, so he had no desire to cede his prize to a WWE lifer. When the bell rang, Roode opted to prove his bona fides by trying Orton at his own game, chopping away at The Apex Predator with the same kind of quick-strikes and close-quarters combat that Orton used against him.
Randy Orton rebounds from a clothesline to drop United States Champion Bobby Roode with a powerslam: Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.
It seemed to be working, too: Roode’s response to a near-miss RKO was to send Orton scurrying with a Glorious DDT attempt, leaving The Viper to fume and, perhaps, reevaluate his game plan in the face of a tougher fight than he expected. Roode found his best footing in the match when he turned on the jets, peppering Orton with clotheslines, neckbreakers and, in one instance, a top-rope clothesline that were grouped so close together The Viper had no room to breathe. Whenever Orton got going, Roode opted for space, giving himself some much-needed time to recover and strategize.
Bobby Roode's United States Championship is on the line against The Viper, Randy Orton, at WWE Fastlane.
It was when Roode turned into the aggressor that he played his way right into Orton’s hands. By pursuing The Viper outside the ring, Roode found himself thrown into the barricade and dropped on top of it. His later attempts to go big led to both the showdown’s defining moment — a superplex so textbook that commentator Byron Saxton called for a second instant replay — and its conclusion, when The Glorious One leapt headfirst into the waiting jaws of a match-ending RKO.
That maneuver handed Orton the championship, but the end of the contest only intensified the drama that has swirled over the U.S. Title as of late. Jinder Mahal, who has christened himself the “Uncrowned United States Champion” thanks to his recent wins over both Orton and Roode, confronted the new champion and attacked him mercilessly until Roode dispatched him with a Glorious DDT. Roode then administered the same maneuver to a beaten Orton as well before leaving in frustration. So Mahal makes his presence known. Roode gets the last word in defeat. And having worked 16 years for this particular prize, Orton may yet find that he’s hit his Grand Slam into a very crowded field.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the leadup to WWE Fastlane, Randy Orton made no bones about why he was challenging Bobby Roode for the United States Championship: It was the one title he’d yet to hold, he wanted to fill out his trophy case, and The Glorious One was just the guy who was unlucky enough to be in his path.
Consider the Grand Slam completed. The Apex Predator slithers into the illustrious club for the first time despite an outstanding effort from Roode, who came into the match with just as much to prove, in his own way, as Orton. The Glorious One traveled a hard road to get to this point and wanted to walk into WrestleMania as U.S. Champion, so he had no desire to cede his prize to a WWE lifer. When the bell rang, Roode opted to prove his bona fides by trying Orton at his own game, chopping away at The Apex Predator with the same kind of quick-strikes and close-quarters combat that Orton used against him.
Randy Orton rebounds from a clothesline to drop United States Champion Bobby Roode with a powerslam: Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.
It seemed to be working, too: Roode’s response to a near-miss RKO was to send Orton scurrying with a Glorious DDT attempt, leaving The Viper to fume and, perhaps, reevaluate his game plan in the face of a tougher fight than he expected. Roode found his best footing in the match when he turned on the jets, peppering Orton with clotheslines, neckbreakers and, in one instance, a top-rope clothesline that were grouped so close together The Viper had no room to breathe. Whenever Orton got going, Roode opted for space, giving himself some much-needed time to recover and strategize.
Bobby Roode's United States Championship is on the line against The Viper, Randy Orton, at WWE Fastlane.
It was when Roode turned into the aggressor that he played his way right into Orton’s hands. By pursuing The Viper outside the ring, Roode found himself thrown into the barricade and dropped on top of it. His later attempts to go big led to both the showdown’s defining moment — a superplex so textbook that commentator Byron Saxton called for a second instant replay — and its conclusion, when The Glorious One leapt headfirst into the waiting jaws of a match-ending RKO.
That maneuver handed Orton the championship, but the end of the contest only intensified the drama that has swirled over the U.S. Title as of late. Jinder Mahal, who has christened himself the “Uncrowned United States Champion” thanks to his recent wins over both Orton and Roode, confronted the new champion and attacked him mercilessly until Roode dispatched him with a Glorious DDT. Roode then administered the same maneuver to a beaten Orton as well before leaving in frustration. So Mahal makes his presence known. Roode gets the last word in defeat. And having worked 16 years for this particular prize, Orton may yet find that he’s hit his Grand Slam into a very crowded field.
