Randy Orton

Sometimes I feel I don't do enough with the obvious on this blog.  By any standards Randy Orton, 30, 6'4", 245#, is iconic.  Son of Cowboy Bob Orton, who, hard as it may be to believe now, had a certain greasy allure back in the seventies, Randy lends credibility to WWE, a massive and intimidating presence in the ring, whose physical gravitas and malevolence, underlined with a strong sense of sexuality and propensity for violence, make him an irresistible force in 21st-century pro wrestling.  Six times the WWE world champion, Orton sticks close to the moves and holds of old-school wrestling and claims them as his own--the full nelson, the drop kick, bodyscissors, and the clothesline.  Here are some of my favorite photographs of him, at various stages of mass and inkage.