There can be an argument made that Randy Orton has been a face for a while. It's true from one perspective, but the reality is that his long-term storyline with Alexa Bliss and 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt was a blur in terms of character direction.

Traditionally speaking, The Fiend may have been viewed as a heel, but in this current day and age, there is no role as such. Post-WrestleMania, however, has been a bit interesting for Orton.

After failing to become the No. 1 contender for the WWE Title, Orton was defeated by the up-and-coming Riddle. The following week on RAW, Randy Orton admitted that he had a bit of respect for Riddle and they tried to test the waters as a tag team.

They faced Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander on RAW and ultimately won the match, teasing more to come. With this new tag team as Randy Orton's direction, here are a few reasons why it happened:

#5. A Y2AJ repeat between Randy Orton and Riddle

Remember the Y2AJ storyline from 2016? Just to give you a refresher - it took place soon after AJ Styles debuted. He had a series of matches with Chris Jericho where Styles emerged victorious 2-1.

They formed a tag team known as Y2AJ and even sold merchandise for a limited time. However, the tag team didn't last long and after failing to capture the Tag Team Titles from The New Day, Jericho turned on Styles - setting up their fourth match for WrestleMania.

This could be a recycled version of it where WWE goes all out to try to make us believe that Riddle and Randy Orton will be a legitimate tag team. However, it could be one big swerve. If WWE manages to sell limited merchandise in that time, it will be valuable.

#4. Randy Orton and Riddle will fill the big Tag Team gap

One of the big problems with the RAW Tag Team division is the lack of teams competing, and Randy Orton might just be added to the mix. On SmackDown, there are four teams constantly competing against each other in the race for Tag Team gold, but RAW seems a bit more desolate.

Even the new RAW Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Omos haven't been seen since WrestleMania 37. Orton and Riddle may have been paired up to help elevate the Tag Team division.

#3. To help elevate Riddle

It's possible that Randy Orton personally requested WWE to work with Riddle, and this is the direction that we're going in. Despite The Original Bro losing at WrestleMania 37, it doesn't appear to be a vote of no-confidence for him.

If anything, his US Title loss may have been a stepping stone. With Riddle being presented as a future top star, Orton could play a role in elevating him.

#2. A different direction for Randy Orton

Randy Orton has been occupied for nearly half a year with a supernatural and bizarre storyline involving The Fiend and Alexa Bliss. It was almost the same week after week, and only his feud against Drew McIntyre was more memorable in 2020.

A more lighthearted storyline with Riddle is exactly the kind of change in direction that Orton needed on RAW. Hopefully, things aren't as serious as they usually are in his storylines.

#1. A long-term storyline is in the works?

Randy Orton could be in another long-term storyline

WWE loves putting Randy Orton in a long-term storyline and this could be another one. Ultimately, it all depends on what WWE's definition of long-term is. Perhaps it's a tag team that may only last until SummerSlam, or perhaps the two will be aligned for a full year going forward.

While we doubt the latter will happen, a good long-term storyline would be perfect to help elevate Riddle as well as utilize Randy Orton. WWE could have a long-term plan in the works.