Things are going pretty well for Randy Orton in the WWE currently and that hasn't been the case for a long time. The Apex Predator has gone through the motions over the last few years having bounced back and forth between relevancy and doing nothing important.
As of now, however, he's enjoying an extended period of success on SmackDown Live.
Why? Bray Wyatt. Well, technically the SD writing team, but you know what we mean. Orton's partnership with the Eater of Worlds has given his character a new lease of life in what has been a relatively uneventful decade for the former World Champion.
There's a fascinating story involved, it's full of potential, and we as an audience are genuinely invested in what's going to happen next.
It all sounds pretty good from an outsider's perspective looking in, but if you've been a fan for a few years now then you're likely noticing some stark similarities between this storyline and another that took place not so long ago.
Also read: WWE News: Randy Orton expects to have many more title runs
We are of course referring to early 2014 when Daniel Bryan finally snapped and committed his long-term future to the Wyatt Family.
Now obviously, not many people bought into this as a long term storyline. Much like with Randy, the issue stems from the fact that it almost seems too obvious that they are both simply acting the fool before eventually turning on Bray.
In fact, that's almost a factor that could be considered a deal breaker for people when buying into everything that's happening, but given that Wyatt is essentially a lunatic it all balances itself out pretty well.
One of the big problems that everyone had with the story involving the leader of the Yes Movement was the duration. It seemed as if the whole ordeal had begun and ended within a matter of weeks, with nobody really understanding why the trigger was pulled on the face turn so quickly.
Whilst it was a thrilling final segment of Raw in which Bryan had one of the defining moments of his career, it felt a bit unfinished.
So with a writing team as brilliant as SmackDown Live's, they seem to have decided to re-write the details behind the situation.
Almost three years on, Orton has also infiltrated the Wyatt Family by gaining Bray's trust whilst simultaneously drawing suspicion from Luke Harper. It allows for some potentially great feuds down the line, and the pacing has been perfect.
Also, Randy doesn't need to start dressing like Bray and Luke because it doesn't fit his character even as a member of the faction. With Bryan, it was a case of him being beneath Bray in the hierarchy, whereas Randy is very similar to the former NXT prospect in his crazy ways.
So with that out of the way, let’s get back to the actual timeline. Now, it may seem odd to put Randy in this position when he's been in a similar feud with Rollins not so long ago, but he is one of the only people who can pull it off.
In addition to this, it gives Bray a pretty big name to defeat on the big stage when they finally get down to the split.
It seems pretty likely that their confrontation will happen at WrestleMania, too. With Wyatt being 0-2 early in his WWE career you have to feel like now is the time for him to have a defining moment on the grandest stage of them all, and it's not like Randy needs the win.
It could even launch the villainous cult leader into WWE Championship contention on the Smackdown following Mania.
Yes, it seems like we're looking at the Bryan feud as a failure, but that isn't the case. It was a fairly resounding success for what it was, it just seems as if the duration didn't quite match up to the expectations of the audience.
Plus the meaning behind his turn didn't really make sense, as you would assume the only reason he'd be teaming with Bray would be to boost himself further up the card.
Which, ironically, is exactly what has happened to Randy. Since joining the Wyatt Family he's already won the Smackdown Tag Team Championships alongside his teammates and looks set to have yet another impressive run in the Royal Rumble match at the end of the month.
With such high stakes on the line, the intensity of all this is bound to ramp up in the weeks ahead especially given Harper's uncertainty about Randy's true alignment.
The simple fact that this has got people talking is a testament to everyone involved. The execution of their association has been pretty flawless so far and given its current trajectory, it seems to be a certainty that the storyline will end up surpassing that of Bryan and Bray's once it's all said and done.
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