What's the story?
Sources have revealed that there is no end in sight for Randy Orton's reign as WWE Champion as outlined on The Dirty Sheets Podcast, via our DS Breaking News show, which you can listen to below.
In case you didn't know...
Randy Orton has received a major push throughout 2017, winning the 2017 Royal Rumble and WWE Championship from Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33.
The heart of the matter
Our sources have reiterated to us that "Orton is Vince's guy" and that he will not be losing the WWE Championship anytime soon. We have learnt that he will definitely beat Jinder Mahal and hold on to the title until at least SummerSlam and possibly beyond.
Contrary to reports, Vince McMahon singled out Randy Orton for a push last August and he was McMahon's hand-picked winner for the Royal Rumble and a title reign as the face of SmackDown. McMahon was impressed with Orton’s attitude after his return from injury and the way he sold for Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam – allowing himself to be legitimately cut open by Lesnar, to get him over as a monster.
Much like Roman Reigns on Raw, getting behind Orton is seen as a priority on SmackDown.
What's next?
Randy Orton will face Jinder Mahal this Sunday at Backlash, in Chicago, IL, and he will most likely retain his WWE Championship. He will then probably face and defeat Rusev at Money in the Bank, although that match is currently up in the air.
Author's Take
WWE love to say “Orton has all the tools” and that, “if you made a wrestler from scratch and built him from the ground up, he'd look like Randy Orton.” Although not stated by the WWE, the same could be said about Roman Reigns.
In an industry which is led by a man who puts heavy emphasis on appearances, it's not a surprise that Orton and Reigns have received preferential treatment from the company.
