Mark Henry said Randy Orton’s attack on Cody Rhodes at the SmackDown contract signing was exactly what the WWE product needed, calling it the return of the Viper persona that made Orton one of the most dangerous characters in wrestling history.
“When was the last time you saw a contract signing that was as compelling as the one we just got?” Henry said on Busted Open After Dark. “It made sense.”
Henry broke down the segment beat by beat, noting that Orton could not look at Rhodes during his emotional speech. “Randy could not look at Cody. He turned his back. I knew right then that there was some kind of conflicted feeling in Randy,” Henry said. “Randy got ready to say something. His voice was broken, because he knew in his mind what was going on and what was about to play out. Cody still didn’t get it. Cody was blinded by ‘that’s my boy.’”
Henry praised the visual of Orton sitting in the ring with the championship on his lap after the attack. “He looks straight up at the camera as if he’s looking at the fans and not saying nothing. He’s saying an awful lot with his eyes, with one head nod. He’s like, ‘You get it. This is how bad I want to be champion. I will sacrifice my boy in order to be champion again,’” Henry said. “Heavy duty s**t. Masterful.”
“I’m Tired of All the Tree Hugging”
Henry said the heel turn was overdue for the WWE product as a whole. “I’m tired of all of the tree hugging, the kissing on the cheek, the bowing to your competitor,” he said. “I competed in two Olympic Games, multiple National Championships, World Championships. I never bowed to no man.”
He connected it to his own career, saying his most successful periods came when he was playing a villain. “As much as I love being Mr. USA, as much as I love being Sexual Chocolate, as much as I love being the World’s Strongest Man – you know where I made the most money? In the Nation of Domination, kicking people’s ass. In the Hall of Pain,” Henry said. “The people wanted to see me run people through cages, throw heavy items on people. That’s what I want from Randy.”
Henry said the old guard in wrestling will appreciate the turn more than anyone. “Bob Orton, the older guys, Jesse Ventura – I bet you he is laughing his ass off right now, because they respect the gangster,” he said. “They respect the guy that knows he could be good, but he chooses to be bad because it pays well, and chicks dig scars.”
He closed with a direct message to the audience about how to view the new Randy Orton. “Don’t trust him. Don’t turn your back on him. Don’t hug him. Don’t reach to shake his hand. Don’t ask for acknowledgement. Fear him and treat him like he’s gonna punch you at any moment,” Henry said.
Co-host Andre noted that the Legend Killer originally made his name in 2007 by punting Cody’s father, Dusty Rhodes, in the head. The heel turn at the contract signing brings Orton’s relationship with the Rhodes family full circle heading into WrestleMania 42.
Orton also pushed Jelly Roll down during the post-signing chaos and shoved Nick Aldis out of the way. Henry said those details add to the picture of an unpredictable Orton. “You push Nick Aldis down, you push Jelly Roll down, and you sit there and you become unpredictable. You become the Viper,” he said.
WrestleMania 42 takes place April 18-19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Rhodes defends the Undisputed WWE Championship against Orton in one of the two main events.
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