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At this year's WWE Hell in a Cell, Randy Orton added to his impressive record and became WWE Champion for the fourteenth time, finally defeating Drew McIntyre for the title after an intense rivalry that spanned months on WWE television. Randy Orton is currently one of the biggest names on RAW, and has been involved in one of the biggest storylines of the year.
Fans have been highly invested in Randy Orton's most recent work in WWE. He was involved in the huge comeback storyline with Edge, following the Royal Rumble return of the Rated-R Superstar in January. This culminated in a match between the two at Backlash, which WWE billed as "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever", which Orton won.
Since then, Orton has been hell-bent on taking the WWE Championship from Drew McIntyre. The Legend Killer won the title, and there is much potential on the RAW roster for his next feud, especially following the recent WWE Draft.
Let's take a look at 5 potential opponents for WWE Champion Randy Orton:
#5 Randy Orton vs Jeff Hardy?
Jeff Hardy was one of the many WWE Superstars who moved to RAW from SmackDown during the most recent WWE Draft. The Charasmatic Enigma has enjoyed a great run since his comeback earlier this year, and even had a brief reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion, which ended after he lost the title to Sami Zayn during a jaw-dropping triple threat ladder match at Clash of Champions.
Since moving to RAW, Jeff Hardy has had a small feud with Elias, but could he have his eyes on winning the WWE Championship?
Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy are no strangers to one another in the WWE ring. In 2018, Orton targeted Hardy, who was WWE United States Champion at the time. The Viper continuously interfered in Jeff Hardy's matches, until they came to blows at Hell in a Cell that year.
Now that both Superstars are on the same brand, there is a chance that this rivalry could be reignited.
#4 Randy Orton vs The Miz?
At this year's Hell in a Cell, The Miz won the Money in the Bank contract from Otis after a lengthy feud. It is only a matter of time before The A-Lister will choose who he will cash in his briefcase, and there is a very big chance that it could be Randy Orton.
Following the WWE Draft, The Miz and Randy Orton are both RAW Superstars. There is also a chance of history repeating itself, which The MIz has already been dropping huge hints about on social media. In November 2010 - almost ten years ago - The Miz was Mr. Money in the Bank, and the WWE Champion at the time was none other than Randy Orton himself. The Miz cashed in the contract on Orton to become WWE Champion for the first and only time in his career.
A rivalry between The Miz and Randy Orton would be a great callback to what happened in 2010. The Miz has already been hinting at a cash-in against Orton on social media, so it may only be a matter of time before this comes true.
#3 Randy Orton vs AJ Styles?
AJ Styles has moved rosters more than once in 2020. The Phenomenal one is currently on RAW with Randy Orton. During his recent run on the Blue brand, AJ Styles enjoyed a reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion, and he may be eying up a world championship as a RAW Superstar.
Like some other performers named on this list, AJ Styles has some history with Randy Orton. In 2019, the pair struck up a rivalry after Orton eliminated Styles during their match at Elimination Chamber, and the pair came to blows over their history in wrestling.
Their rivalry came to a head at WrestleMania 35, where Styles won. Now that both AJ Styles and Randy Orton are on the same brand, there is plenty of scope for this storyline to be reignited. Both performers are popular with fans for their in-ring skills and their unique personas.
As both performers are currently working as heels on RAW, this may be an opportunity to turn one of them into a babyface. If this rivalry happens, there is potential for some crazy matches to happen in the future between the two.
#2 Randy Orton vs Keith Lee?
Keith Lee moved to RAW after he lost the NXT Championship to Karrion Kross at NXT TakeOver: XXX. Lee was one of the top stars on the Black and Gold Brand, and hit the ground running when he moved over to the Red brand in August of this year.
When Lee moved to RAW, he was immediately placed in the middle of the feud between Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre. Keith Lee lost his debut RAW match to Randy Orton following their confrontation on his RAW debut. The pair later settled their differences in another match at Payback, which Lee won, cementing him quickly as a talent to watch out for on RAW.
The rivalry between the pair has died down a little since then, but it could potentially be revived. Keith Lee is a strong and unique talent, and it is easy to see him chasing the WWE Championship sooner rather than later. Given how the personalities of Lee and Orton were showcased during their former rivalry, there is much potential for this feud to reignite.
#1 The Fiend vs Randy Orton?
The Fiend moved from SmackDown to RAW during the most recent WWE Draft. The performer has most recently been a WWE Universal Champion but hasn't come near a championship belt since the move. The Fiend and Randy Orton being a new feud would be a great callback to their 2016-2017 rivalry that had fans hooked.
At the time, The Legend Killer was determined to infiltrate and destroy The Wyatt Family and did everything in his power to do so.
Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt and The Wyatt Family spanned for months, and only ended when Orton burned the Wyatt Family compound to the ground.
A common theme with The Fiend is to target those who crossed or wronged him in the past, and Randy Orton definitely fits that description. Orton feels like the perfect person for The Fiend to target next.
The Fiend lost the WWE Universal Championship when Roman Reigns returned television, and may now have his eyes on the WWE Championship.
On the most recent episode of RAW, Orton was a guest on A Moment of Bliss, and later in the show, The Fiend appeared behind The Viper. The stage seems set for the pair to come to blows over the WWE Championship, which is sure to be a big hit with fans.
