The outcome of their partnership has been inevitable from the very beginning. The egos of Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt would be held in check for long enough to do some damage on Smackdown Live, but their team was never set to be built for the long run.
The dissension between the two of them actually dissipated quickly, and the main source of contention has been Luke Harper and trying to figure out what his role is now that the Wyatt Family essentially has two leaders.
Harper has been the odd man out while Randy and Bray appear to have bonded.
The Breakup
There a number of different ways WWE can go with this storyline. Harper can leave the group and return to teaming with his former partner Eric Rowan, and they could take on Orton and Wyatt.
That could produce some great tag matches and prolong the split of Randy and Bray for a few months. No titles needed, just a feud built on hatred and betrayal. That would make for an interesting WrestleMania match.
Maybe Bray has been using Harper as a tool to lull Orton into a false sense of security.
With Randy getting to do all of the things Harper would usually do, and more, Harper appears to be upset, but what if he's in on it in order to make the eventual attack on Orton a surprise for the Viper, who has let his guard down?
Would they wait on this until closer to WrestleMania? Maybe pull the trigger at the Royal Rumble?
Also read: WWE News: Randy Orton wants to see Bray Wyatt become WWE Champion
I wouldn't even be against WWE bringing up SaNiTy to be Wyatt's new family. Both Orton and Harper could leave, realising that Bray was playing them both for fools, and Bray would need some backup, as he would have Orton, Harper, and possibly Rowan all breathing down his neck.
There are so many matches to make with that set of teams, and Wyatt would still have the numbers advantage. It could also lead to a Bray Wyatt vs. Eric Young feud down the line. The stories just flow together so well.
SaNiTy could even infiltrate before the official breakup. They can debut on Smackdown Live as a new team that's looking for the tag titles but also wants to take out the Wyatt Family, to take out the biggest dog in the yard, you might say.
But after some time, it turns out that Bray had SaNiTy on his side the whole time, and used them to push both Orton and Harper out of their spots.
Bray didn't want to move forward alone, nor did he have any intention of taking the fight to Orton and Harper on his own, so he needed backup in place before splitting his team.
The WWE Championship
One thing is for sure. When they do finally return to opposing sides, Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton is a perfect feud for the WWE Championship. That little taste of gold must have felt good to Bray, and in pro wrestling, with the gold comes the power.
Why wouldn't Bray want to take the WWE Championship? It would allow him to bring Smackdown Live to its knees.
Orton has expressed in recent interviews that his time as a competitor for the WWE Championship is not over, and his legacy will not end with 12 title reigns. Since he will be intertwined with Bray Wyatt for the foreseeable future, there's a perfect opportunity to let the two of them go at it with the title on the line.
AJ Styles vs. Bray Wyatt has the potential to be amazing. They could throw a massive curve ball and have Wyatt win the Royal Rumble, he could then go on to challenge Styles for the title at WrestleMania.
Bray could win that match and then go on to face his spurned former partner Randy Orton, or they could go the opposite way. Bray could lose the match, but soon after we can see AJ take on Orton for the belt, and Orton could then win it.
That would drive Bray crazy, because not only would he have failed, but Orton would have succeeded. The taste of gold he got when they won the tag titles was powerful, and he knows the WWE Championship would mean even more power, especially with his new family behind him.
This would also end up extending the story even longer, with, say, Orton and Harper teaming against the new New Wyatt Family.
Orton vs. Harper could be their WrestleMania match, and then after being successful there, Orton could win the title at the following Smackdown Live PPV in another dream match, with him vs. AJ Styles.
That's all considering John Cena doesn't win the title at the Royal Rumble PPV.
The Fallout
In end, we have to wait for the summer until Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton actually happens. Luke Harper becomes a fixture in the Intercontinental Championship division. Eric Young and his team stick around and associate with Wyatt, but also do their own thing as part of the tag team division.
Bray Wyatt beats Randy Orton in his first attempt to take the belt from him, and he defends it successfully in the rematch. Bray finally becomes the monster we all knew he could be, and he does it while yielding all the power because he is the WWE Champion.
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