WWE: Who Is a Suitable Replacement for Randy Orton on SmackDown?

Randy Orton appears to be hurt, but it looks like something fishy may be going on with his supposed injury. 

On one hand, you have Orton himself claiming to be “pain free,” which many have taken as a sign that the supposed injury to Orton’s back is not legitimate. 

On the other hand, you have the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via WrestlingInc.com) reporting that Orton’s injury has caused a major change in Royal Rumble plans while also revealing that Orton is scheduled to appear at the Raw Supershow on Jan. 16. 

Obviously, there are a lot of ifs and buts in this situation, so here’s another if: If Orton is out through the Royal Rumble or possibly the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, who will take his spot as SmackDown’s top baby face? 

It should be the World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan, because—let’s face it—if you don’t have enough faith in your World Title holder to make him the top face of his brand, then that doesn’t bode too well for his title run. 

That’s precisely the problem, though. I don’t think WWE officials are willing to rely on Bryan as SmackDown’s No. 1 baby face during Orton’s absence, leaving that spot open for another good guy. 

A spot that I think will be filled by Sheamus.

The Celtic Warrior is in a rare situation right now in that he’s obviously viewed as a main-event caliber talent, but he’s been stuck without a legitimate feud for nearly two months. Ever since the injury to Christian prior to Survivor Series, Sheamus has been placed in pointless mini TV feuds with the likes of The Miz, Jack Swagger and Jinder Mahal, and they’ve done little to help elevate him. 

Yet, at the same time, Sheamus remains tremendously over with the crowd and has been since turning baby face over the summer. 

You could make a case that Sheamus has been viewed as the WWE’s No. 4 baby face and No. 4 overall star over the last six months or so, only behind Orton, John Cena and CM Punk. Sheamus gets protected (by not taking clean losses) in much the same way that Cena has over the last several years now. 

Oddly enough, though, fans don’t complain about Sheamus getting that top star treatment, and instead, they want to see more of him. The Celtic Warrior has had an incredible rise in popularity since becoming a good guy, and he continues to get some of the biggest pops around. 

He is everything that the WWE is looking for out of a temporary replacement for Orton.

Sheamus is huge, with a unique look, very underrated wrestling skills and an instant connection with the fans that not many baby faces in the WWE have. He is the one SmackDown baby face who could even come close to Orton in terms of both popularity and in-ring abilities. 

The WWE should be thankful that Sheamus is not doing much of anything at the moment and that he can step in for Orton without missing a beat, because that’s a luxury that Monday Night Raw doesn’t really have at the moment. If Cena goes down with an injury, then no baby face can fill his shoes for his feud with Kane, and if Punk gets injured, no one could step into his spot as the WWE Champion. 

But Sheamus can step in as Orton’s replacement—heck, even during his feud with Wade Barrett—and no one would even think twice about it. 

And don’t be too surprised if that’s exactly what happens on SmackDown in the coming weeks.