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RAW had yet another bizarre ending involving Randy Orton and Alexa Bliss. While the main event was supposed to feature Randy Orton vs. Triple H, the match ended abruptly.
There was no conclusive finish, as Triple H's sledgehammer caught fire before he disappeared. Alexa Bliss then emerged and shot a ball of fire into Randy Orton's eyes to end the show.
That was another great way to end RAW, and there are a lot of implications for the three names involved - Randy Orton, Alexa Bliss, and 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt. But what was the reason behind the segment? We give a mix of storyline and possible backstage reasons and theories for the ending of RAW:
#5. Revenge on Randy Orton for The Fiend
The ending of TLC saw Randy Orton set 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt on fire in their Firefly Inferno match. It was quite a shocking ending, especially given the PG environment of WWE.
But despite a seemingly conclusive end to their rivalry, WWE made it clear that Randy Orton wasn't done with Bray Wyatt. Alexa Bliss re-emerged the following night to confront Randy Orton and has been behind him ever since.
While Alexa Bliss didn't immolate Randy Orton, it was revenge for what happened at TLC to The Fiend. The fact that she did that added a lot of fuel to the storyline, and Alexa Bliss has managed to make the storyline more interesting than The Fiend did.
It was an excellent way to add buzz to the rivalry, but WWE has done a good job of that by having RAW end in a bizarre way more than once. It also adds a new level of viciousness to Alexa Bliss' character - something she had before, but only to a small extent.
#4. Teasing Bray Wyatt's return to get revenge on Randy Orton
After Randy Orton immolated The Fiend at TLC in the Firefly Inferno match, Bray Wyatt's return is something that has been teased on RAW several times. Alexa Bliss vowed that Bray Wyatt would return stronger than ever. This was clearly another big way to tease The Fiend's return to RAW.
While a long break may have been warranted given how he was written off at TLC, he will be back sooner than we think.
#3. To set up a Royal Rumble match
Given that Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt's WrestleMania 33 match in 2017 didn't work out well, we don't blame WWE for wanting to finish the feud before the Royal Rumble.
Randy Orton may have declared himself as an entrant to the Men's Royal Rumble match, but that doesn't mean that he won't wrestle earlier in the night. All roads seem to be leading to a major rematch at the 2021 Royal Rumble. What stipulation it will have, however, we can't be sure.
#2. Protecting Triple H against Randy Orton
Triple H's appearance on RAW was solely due to Drew McIntyre testing positive for COVID-19. With McIntyre originally scheduled to take on Randy Orton, Triple H took that spot in the main event instead.
It was Triple H's first match since 2019, and incidentally, the last time he faced Randy Orton in Saudi Arabia, he lost. This time, however, was different. WWE decided to protect Triple H against Randy Orton, and understandably so. A hot angle can make fans overlook the inconclusive finish.
#1. To position The Fiend as a babyface
Some would argue that The Fiend already turned face against Randy Orton. It's a bit hard to tell, especially since everything about his character seems like a heel.
There have been rumors for a while now about Bray Wyatt and Alexa Bliss turning babyface. Given how big a heel Randy Orton still is, it wouldn't be surprising if they're being positioned that way.
But the ending to RAW may have been WWE's way to further cement his babyface turn.
