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Drew McIntyre vs Randy Orton was always the right direction to go at SummerSlam 2020. Drew McIntyre has had great Championship defenses so far, against the likes of Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, and Dolph Ziggler. Randy Orton is now added to that list.
They had what we felt was the second-best match of the night, only behind Dominik Mysterio's debut against Seth Rollins. While it was a solid match in its own right, it ended abruptly with a sliding-rolling pin attempt by Drew McIntyre.
Given that it's SummerSlam 2020, one would think that WWE would go for the better finish. Even in last year's WWE title attempt at SummerSlam, Randy Orton's match ended with a dusty finish.
That was the only disappointment in an otherwise great match filled with solid storytelling. It was always going to be a technical match-up, but it seems as though they did enough to make up for a few slow spots.
Let's take a look at a few possible reasons why WWE didn't put the WWE title on Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2020:
#5. An immediate rematch at Payback for Randy Orton
This is the most obvious reason behind the dusty finish to the WWE SummerSlam co-main event between Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton. When asked about why Payback 2020 was just one week after SummerSlam 2020, Dave Meltzer said:
"Just an experiment to see how it works. They must have an idea for a hot angle coming off SummerSlam that they felt needed an immediate follow-up. That or, it was just an idea they are trying."
There is no time to build a new feud, so WWE might as well have gone with a rematch. They needed a valid reason for a rematch after SummerSlam 2020 and this was the way they're going to get there.
#4. Randy Orton won't be a difference-maker to the WWE ratings
When talking about the hottest WWE stars heading into SummerSlam 2020, it's hard to look past Randy Orton. The Viper has taken it to a whole new level following his feud with Edge, and since then, he has brutalized and victimized a few more legends such as Christian, Big Show, and most recently, Ric Flair.
We wouldn't have blamed WWE if they decided to put the title on Randy Orton. There were rumors floating about that WWE wanted to put the WWE title on Randy Orton and have him hold the title up until WrestleMania 37 to conclude the trilogy with Edge.
The reality is that the dip in WWE ratings has more to do with the lack of audience than who the Champion is. If you were to ask most WWE fans, they'd tell you that Drew McIntyre is the best WWE Champion we've had in a long time. Yet the ratings don't seem to reflect that.
Randy Orton is unlikely to make any immediate impact on the RAW ratings.
#3. There aren't too many babyfaces to challenge Randy Orton
One of the big problems of the COVID-era of WWE is the fact that the rosters on both sides are somewhat thin. As you likely know by now, SmackDown got a huge boost in the main event of SummerSlam with the return of Roman Reigns.
While RAW doesn't have a full-time star of that caliber, there's still a notable lack of babyfaces on the roster to challenge a heel Champion. While there's little doubt that WWE considered the different scenarios that would play out if Randy Orton were Champion.
The big problem, especially if they want to have an 8-month reign is that they need a minimum of 3-4 challengers in that time. While we could see some long feuds, there are few babyface title challengers for Randy Orton on WWE RAW.
Drew McIntyre, on the other hand, has a lot of heel challengers and could easily continue on for the rest of the year with just two more feuds.
#2. Saving Randy Orton's title win until next year
The various rumors, primarily from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, revealed that WWE could possibly have been planning a title change at SummerSlam 2020 for Randy Orton so he can eventually end up defending it against Edge at WrestleMania 37 in the conclusion of their trilogy match.
It seems logical to set up a trilogy match between the two next year, especially since Edge isn't expected to return until early 2021. With that said, what sense does it make to put the WWE title on Randy Orton so early? Orton will always be in the top contendership mix and can easily re-enter the WWE title picture later this year or early next year.
It won't make too much of a difference if Orton becomes WWE Champion later on. SummerSlam 2020 just wasn't the right time to do it. If he does eventually become a 14-time World Champion, we know which direction he'll be headed in with the WWE title.
#1. WWE is more invested in Drew McIntyre than Randy Orton right now
Randy Orton may be the hottest star in WWE but simply put Drew McIntyre happens to be the guy in WWE right now. When a Superstar wins the Royal Rumble and defeats Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title in the main event of WrestleMania, that's a sign that Vince McMahon is serious about them.
One major factor when it came to Vince McMahon pushing Drew McIntyre is the prophecy he made about him in 2009 where he declared him as a future World Champion. That along with McIntyre's rapid improvement in every aspect of the game meant that he was ready for the top spot he's in now.
Randy Orton has taken it to the next level in the COVID-era, but Drew McIntyre was and still is the right guy to lead WWE in these confusing times. When WWE invested so much time, effort, and money into McIntyre, it's unlikely that they were ever going to give Randy Orton the win.
