By Richard Gardner, Torch specialist

On Monday night, the programs for WrestleMania were set. WWE has moved away from using the Royal Rumble as the beginning of the road to WrestleMania in the last couple of years, in favor of producing an impressive card for the February No Way Out PPV, and as a result the build for the WWE's biggest card of the year does not feel quite as special as it has done in years previous.

Throw in the two major title changes from last Sunday, and the road to WrestleMania feels slightly rushed. Nevertheless, WrestleMania remains the focal point of the WWE calendar, justified by a loaded card of matches.

While the speculation over whether Mickey Rourke will appear continues, WrestleMania is currently without a scheduled major celebrity appearance. Instead, the big angle for the show occurred on Monday, encompassing Randy Orton, Triple H, and the McMahon family. After a heated brawl, Orton assaulted Shane with his trademark punt to the head, prompting his sister to enter the ring. Orton then administered the RKO on Stephanie, causing Triple H to run from the back and chase Legacy out of the ring. This set up a potential WWE title match between the two at WrestleMania.

The angle was unique, because it is the first time Stephanie McMahon's marriage to Triple H has been portrayed on screen in several years, aside from some sarcastic references during the D-Generation X reunion. It is not a revelation. In an age where even the most casual of fans have access to a wealth of insider information via the Internet, their relationship has been one of wrestling's worst kept secrets. Still, acknowledging their marriage in the angle adds an extra dimension to this feud going into WrestleMania.

It was surprising to see man-on- woman violence on WWE television, due to the WWE's proclamation that their product is now family-friendly. Yet Orton's interaction with Stephanie McMahon helps to differentiate this feud from the one he had with Triple H a year ago. Without this back story, the feud would have felt like a retread of their program that culminated in Orton breaking his collarbone at Backlash last year. What also makes this feud more interesting is the fact that Randy Orton has really stepped up his game in the last twelve months.

Orton was a revelation in the latter part of 2008. Although World Champion, Orton got off to a slow start, as he engaged in a somewhat repetitive feud with Triple H. The fans had seen it all already. Even Orton himself seemed uninspired by the lines he was being fed. Then injury forced him out of action for several months, in what turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Upon his return, Orton cut a promo on the entire Raw roster that was infinitely superior that the "Age of Orton" verbiage that WWE fans were familiar with. In the weeks between Summerslam and Survivor Series, Orton became one of the most fascinating characters on Raw without even having a match. He seemed refocused, an assumption that was proved right when he returned to the ring as sharp as ever.

Randy Orton has been on top form since returning from injury last year. The amount of selling that he has done in his feud with Shane McMahon has been disappointing, but at the same time he has been developing genuine star power that will keep him at the top of the card for years to come.

Despite the fact that Randy Orton punted Vince McMahon in the head, destroyed Shane, and RKO'ed Stephanie, there is still a chance that he will end up as an unintentional babyface in the match at WrestleMania.

Both Triple H and the McMahon family have television characters that are regularly obnoxious and overbearing, and it is easy to see why wrestling fans may want them to be knocked down a peg or two. Added to which, the crowd may be inclined to get behind Orton due to his evolution into a genuine main event star. However, the WWE has done their best to recast Orton as a heel, in the face of growing fan support, through his cowardly attacks and his threat to file an injunction to block the broadcast of WrestleMania.

While there are plenty of reasons for wrestling fans to enjoy an Orton-Triple H feud, the match does not hold the sort of mainstream interest that would prompt casual fans to order WrestleMania. However, the match is certainly worthy of headlining the event, and in future years may be looked upon as a passing of the torch. Triple H's history of injuries is bound to catch up with him at eventually, and Randy Orton is well placed to fill his role as the company's top star.

The Orton-Triple H program has a lot of potential, due to the reference to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's real life relationship and Randy Orton's ascendancy to the top of the card. It will be interesting to see how the feud develops in the coming weeks.

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