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Randy Orton may have just recently defeated Drew McIntyre to win the WWE Championship, but it already seems possible that his reign will end. Despite the feud going longer than three months, it is far from over. Orton and McIntyre will face off once more for the title on next week's RAW, the go-home show before Survivor Series.
The WWE Championship hasn't changed hands on RAW in nearly five years, with Roman Reigns the last person to win it on an episode of the Red brand back in December 2015. However, that could change in a few days and Drew McIntyre may be a two-time WWE Champion at this point next week.
Several factors make this title switch a possibility heading into RAW and Survivor Series, based on the pay-per-view itself as well as WWE's likely direction for McIntyre and Orton moving forward.
Here are five signs that Drew McIntyre will win the WWE Championship from Randy Orton on RAW, six days before Survivor Series.
#5 WWE's recent habit of booking major title changes before Survivor Series
With WWE introducing the 'Champion vs. Champion' concept for Survivor Series in 2017, the company utilized the build to the pay-per-view to modify the card to make it look more attractive. As a result, we have seen a lot of dream matches in recent years at Survivor Series.
There has been at least one title change in the weeks leading to every Survivor Series pay-per-view since the brand split returned. The most notable of them include AJ Styles defeating Jinder Mahal in the UK to win the WWE Championship, as well as his shocking defeat to Daniel Bryan one year later.
While no title has changed hands so far this time, WWE could very well pull a last-minute swerve as they have done so in the past. Several Champions could lose their title before Survivor Series and a couple of them could still be beaten.
Along with Randy Orton's WWE Championship defense against Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods will put their RAW Tag Team Championships on the line against Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander of the Hurt Business. However, every such title change happens with good reason. More on that.
#4 WWE generally doesn't book heel vs. heel main events
Elaborating on WWE's habit of booking major title changes before Survivor Series, a couple of them were due to improper alignments between RAW's and SmackDown's Champions. Some of the beneficiaries of this were AJ Styles and Charlotte Flair, who faced Brock Lesnar and Alexa Bliss, respectively, at Survivor Series 2017.
While there are a few exceptions, notably at Survivor Series itself, WWE is generally against pitting two bad guys opposite each other. There is nobody the fans could root for in this scenario. It takes two exceptional talents to make such a match work.
Roman Reigns and Randy Orton are both exceptional storytellers and would undoubtedly work around the constraints of their alignments. They would bypass this problem, much like Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan did two years ago. That match was a genuine classic.
That being said, WWE would still likely prefer a babyface to step up to the Tribal Chief, which is why Drew McIntyre has a fighting chance on RAW. The dynamic would be much better between him and Reigns than it would be between Orton and Reigns.
#3 Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns is the biggest match possible for WWE Survivor Series
All things considered, Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns is the biggest match WWE could put on now. The two of them are the best babyface and heel, respectively, in the company today, with both of them being incredibly dominant during 2020.
WWE has booked some high-caliber dream matches under the brand warfare concept at Survivor Series, with Brock Lesnar's matches against AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan being prime examples. The Shield vs. The New Day and Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair were also dream matches, as was Rousey's intended showdown with Becky Lynch.
Most of the above matches were made thanks to a title change in the build-up to Survivor Series, much like the possible confrontation between Reigns and McIntyre. It would be a massive improvement from their average match at WrestleMania 35.
This match also fits this year's tagline for Survivor Series, 'Best of the Best' to perfection. The only possible reason why WWE might not want Drew McIntyre to face Roman Reigns next Sunday is so they can save it for a later date, perhaps as a WrestleMania main event.
#2 It would increase Drew McIntyre's (and possibly Randy Orton's) WWE World Title count
If WWE always intended to have Drew McIntyre face Roman Reigns at Survivor Series, why would they even bother with putting the title on Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell?
One, so that the Viper could enjoy a big win amongst his numerous defeats to McIntyre recently. Two, to help boost both Superstars' World title tallies. Orton is now a 14-time WWE World Champion and if he drops the belt on the RAW before Survivor Series, McIntyre will become a two-time Champion just like that.
Additionally, suppose WWE plans to have the rumored Edge vs. Randy Orton match WrestleMania be for the WWE Championship. In that case, the Apex Predator could win it again and become a 15-time World Champion in the process, just one behind the record set by Ric Flair and John Cena.
A lot of Orton's 14 reigns did not last long or have much substance to it, but all of them have contributed to his impressive tally today. The same goes for Drew McIntyre. The WWE Champion's Survivor Series opponent, Roman Reigns, is a 5-time World Champion himself, thanks to a few short title reigns in 2015.
#1 WWE must book Randy Orton vs. 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt as a non-title feud
Along with Drew McIntyre and Mr. Money in the Bank, The Miz, another Superstar hot on Randy Orton's heels, is 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt. He hasn't forgotten what the Viper did to him in 2017 and could make his presence felt either during the WWE Championship match on RAW or at Survivor Series itself.
The impending feud between them is sure to be intense and layered with storytelling, like most things Orton and Wyatt have done this year. However, it must not involve the WWE Championship. Every time The Fiend goes after a World Title, it ends badly for him.
Unless WWE has a clear plan for a possible WWE Championship reign for The Fiend, from start to finish, they must not go down this well again. This storyline is strong enough to remain relevant without the title at stake, even if it was a part of Wyatt's feud with Orton over three years ago.
Bray Wyatt should simply focus on making Randy Orton suffer and gaining vengeance on the Viper for tearing his 'Family' apart, burning his house down, and taking his title at WrestleMania. The Fiend doesn't need the title to make it right. All he needs is for Orton to... Let. Him. In.
Meanwhile, Drew McIntyre can march on to Survivor Series with the WWE Championship. What happens with the title after that is another story entirely.
Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE
