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While a lot of rumors did the rounds on the internet, every wrestling fan had shivers down his/her spine when he/she heard the 5 most surreal words in sports entertainment history- 'You think you know me'! Edge was back in WWE again after being told that he will never wrestle another match.
This week on RAW, he cut a passionate promo and was confronted by his friend Randy Orton. Randy Orton teased a formation of their old alliance, and then lo and behold, he turned on Edge as he has turned on so many others through his illustrious career.
Why has Randy Orton, who has been showcasing a lot of babyface traits over the past few weeks suddenly become a heel again, you ask? I have no backstage information, because I'm just a fan like you are, but I can certainly make a few guesses.
And here are my guesses...
#5 Safest opponent for Edge
Edge may be back in the squared circle again, but as Triple H said in an interview not long ago, he is a father now and would not want to damage his quality of life. I realize just how beloved and how celebrated the man is but the last thing he would want is to be in a situation where he aggravates his injury. And this is why Randy Orton was chosen to be his opponent.
Randy Orton is one of the safest Superstars in the company, which also explains his longevity in the business of sports entertainment. Edge cannot be a heel at this point even if he tries his best and this meant that Randy Orton had to become a heel to take him on. Edge would also want to face someone like Randy Orton, someone he knows and trusts wholeheartedly.
#4 The unfortunate injury to AJ Styles
AJ Styles had all of the steam in the world as a heel and was even embroiled in a very bitter feud with Randy Orton until not long ago. But the fact of the matter is that he has sustained an injury and may indeed be out of commission for a very long time indeed.
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle praises AJ Styles to the moon in an interview with Sportskeeda's Gary Cassidy that's been linked in the video above, and the praise is indeed quite deservedly earned because Styles may be the greatest in-ring performer of our era. And this would have pretty much assured him a WrestleMania spot in a featured and prominent position, maybe even in a match against Edge, had the unfortunate injury not happened.
Because AJ Styles was WWE's top heel after Seth Rollins and maybe King Corbin at the moment, the company needed a strong villain to replace him. Randy Orton would be perfect for such a role, especially if you consider his track record.
#3 The suspension of Andrade
If you caught this week's episode of RAW, you may have noticed the thrilling contest between Andrade and Humberto Carillo for the United States Championship. Even though there wasn't a title change during the course of the said affair, it ended with Humberto Carillo laying the current US Champion out with a DDT on the concrete floor.
Reports would emerge soon after that Andrade has been suspended from WWE for violating WWE's wellness policy and will be suspended for a month. This is a big blow to the brand, especially if you consider that he was the predominant male champion carrying RAW considering that Brock Lesnar does not show up every week.
WWE needed a heel to step in and fill this gap and who better than the future WWE Hall of Famer- Randy Orton? Whether or not Andrade returns in the same position in a month remains to be seen, but for the time being, WWE needs a dominant heel.
Who better than The Viper to fulfill this role?
#2 Orton's a natural heel
Even when Lacey Evans was a heel, a lot of us were listening to her list of accolades and thinking to ourselves- hey, she's a real-life superhero and deserves to be a babyface, does she not? There are certain individuals who are just naturals at playing certain characters and become known for these roles. A classic case is Sting, who's been a heel for certain parts of his career but is best known to be a babyface.
Randy Orton has been a great babyface at times, but there's something about him that just indicates that he is a natural heel. And so even when the shocking twist happened at the end of the show, we weren't as surprised as we were, say, when Bayley tapped into her dark side and turned heel. Or when Buddy Murphy decided to join Seth Rollins' faction and dedicate his life to the dark side.
Randy Orton, like Ric Flair and Triple H, is just someone who excels at being a heel. This has been the case through his career.
#1 A chance to elevate a lot of babyfaces
Randy Orton will go down in history as one of the greatest of all time and by now, it would not be unfair to call him a legend in the business. And he still has a few good years left in him, which can be used to create the next star in wrestling.
RAW is absolutely loaded with talent at the moment and I honestly think that if someone like Aleister Black were to work with Randy Orton on the way to WrestleMania, it would benefit him a great deal. Even if he were to come up short against The Viper, it would just attract a lot more attention to the Dutch Destroyer, because Orton is a star.
And the same holds true for someone like Ricochet or Rusev for that matter, who will want new stars to work with, in the months and weeks that follow. Randy Orton may not be a young man but can certainly work with the best, at the highest level.
Is it any wonder that he's gone heel?
