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The WWE landscape underwent a drastic change at last week’s Raw as the Authority turned against Randy Orton. After building up friction against Seth Rollins, the fans knew this was coming but now that it actually happened, the company’s creative team have ended up with a lot of options.Orton’s heel character was smelling of staleness all over it and a face turn would be just like hitting the refresh button for him. Though the creative direction for Orton wasn’t going anywhere, he showed no drops in the in-ring performance which would be an advantage during his face run.And the turn came in just the right moment as fans were really getting tired of all the Cena –Orton matches that were going around. With new found momentum, here is a look at the feuds that Orton could have next.
#5 Brock Lesnar
The WWE championship reign that Orton had during his heel run didn’t give much to remember. Orton lost the title to Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania this year and he didn’t even get pinned for that to happen since it was a triple threat match.
Hunter did promise a rematch for Orton but it never came by as an Evolution reunion was in place for the apex predator.
Lesnar came into the title scene after that and completely destroyed the hopes of Orton of recapturing the gold. However, things have changed now. Orton is no more a stale heel and will have all the backing from the WWE Universe if he goes up against Lesnar.
A match between Lesnar and Orton would be a refreshing change for the fans who have seen Lesnar face almost all the other big names in the current roster.
#4 Triple H
Orton has all the reasons in the world to go after Hunter. The friction between both men dates back to their original Evolution days and the recent angle on Raw has made matters worse.
It was Triple H who ordered the curb stomp on steel steps on Monday Night and Orton isn’t someone who’ll forget that easily. Over the years, Hunter and Orton have faced off a lot of times but this would be special due to the Authority angle.
Hunter and Stephanie have seen all sorts of rebels in the power trip but facing someone who they created would prove to be a compelling narrative. Orton needs credible opponents to put him over as a new babyface and Hunter would do the job well just like he did with Daniel Bryan.
#3 Rusev
Turning face opens the door for facing almost an entirely new array of opponents. The same applies for Orton as well. Looking through the heels in the current roster, Rusev has been one of the most impressive ones.
He has defeated a number of former champions with Sheamus being the latest addition. The Bulgarian Brute also went on to capture the United States Championship from Sheamus which has made him look more credible.
Rusev and Orton wouldn’t have any trouble pulling off some great matches and with Lana on the microphone for Rusev, this ensures a good total package. The only problem that’ll arise will be the winner of the feud. Orton would have to put over Rusev because the other option will bury the champion.
#2 Seth Rollins
Orton sees a bit of himself in Seth Rollins. There is this arrogance and cockiness of knowing he possess the talent and maybe that’s why Orton started developing friction with the Architect while they were in team Authority.
The two went on to have a match before the Authority’s big attack on Orton and the match turned out to be of pay-per-view quality.
This shows the chemistry that these two have and WWE will have a good angle as well since Hunter sees Rollins as a replacement for the Viper. Going up against Rollins should be the first feud for Orton as a face and it should be booked in such a way that both men look good.
#1 Bray Wyatt
The Eater of the Worlds is arguably the best cult character on the WWE roster at the moment. Before WWE screwed him up with the John Cena feud, Bray was riding high solely on the basis of his talent.
It was a character that could’ve survived any Era but Bray’s brilliance made it look better than it already was. However, one of the major problems that Bray had during his short time on the roster was the lack of quality opponents.
Cena didn’t turn out to be a good choice nor did Chris Jericho. WWE is on a mission to rebuild Wyatt with the Dean Ambrose feud but after that it would be the same scenario again.
Orton meanwhile would be a great choice to face Bray. There is an immense amount of in-ring psychology between the two men and a full blown angle will turn out to be a money maker for sure.
