WWE: 7 Reasons Why Randy Orton Will Be Champion Soon

The Viper is back.

After serving a 60-day suspension for his second violation of the WWE Talent Wellness Program, Randy Orton returned to the WWE on last week's episode of Monday Night Raw.

It was there that he easily defeated Heath Slater in singles action before going on to pick up a DQ victory over Alberto Del Rio in the main event of SmackDown.

Orton has looked really good since his return, but there are still plenty of fans out there who question both his short-term and long-term futures with the WWE because he's one strike away from being released.

But rest assure that Orton isn't going anywhere. Well, scratch that.

The only place he's going is to the World title scene.

Here are seven reasons why Randy Orton will become World champion soon.

7. He Appears to Be in Line for a Big Push, Despite the Suspension

Judging by what's happened with Randy Orton since his return, he appears to be in line for a sizable push going forward.

He could have instantly been buried when he came back like many expected him to be because of his surprising Wellness suspension.

Instead, he squashed Heath Slater in his return match and then picked up a DQ win over Alberto Del Rio.

In other words, Orton's suspension did absolutely nothing to hurt his standing in the WWE.

It was disappointing and untimely, sure. But it doesn't appear as if Orton is going to have any serious repercussions for failing that Wellness test.

In fact, it looks like Orton is headed right back to the top of the WWE and, more specifically, the top of SmackDown.

With the current main-event situation on the blue brand, chances are that Orton is going to be thrust into the World title scene there sooner rather than later as well.

6. The Reactions He's Received Since His Return

Did you hear the reaction that Randy Orton received when he returned on Raw last week?

It was essentially a standing ovation for "The Viper."

The fans were beyond thrilled to have Orton back after he missed roughly two months of action, showering him in cheers both before and after his match with Heath Slater.

The massive pop continued on SmackDown, too.

Orton received another a big ovation last Friday, and it's pretty clear that the fans missed him and were more than happy to see him in action again.

Although the crowd's reaction to Orton doesn't ensure that he'll be getting a run with a World title anytime soon, it does make it a lot more likely.

The more over a guy is, the better the chance of him getting a World title run. 

And Orton is over big time right now.

5. The Likelihood of Feuds with Sheamus and/or Dolph Ziggler

I'd say that the chances of Randy Orton feuding with Sheamus and/or Dolph Ziggler are pretty good.

Prior to Orton's suspension, there was a lot of animosity built up between he and the World Heavyweight Champion, but there was no final resolution there because Orton's suspension prevented that from happening.

So, perhaps we could see some closure to what happened between those two in the not-so-distant future—closure that is almost sure to involve the World Heavyweight Championship.

Of course, the possibility of Orton feuding with Ziggler also remains strong.

Although Ziggler's been teasing a Money in the Bank cash-in a lot lately, he doesn't really have an actual feud at the moment, and the rumor before Orton's suspension was that "The Showoff" and "The Viper" would be headed for a major rivalry.

Based on the way things are currently shaping up on SmackDown, it doesn't seem far-fetched at all for Orton to target Sheamus soon or to begin a feud with Ziggler that gets him involved in the World Heavyweight title scene.

Some combination of the two could certainly happen and ultimately result in Orton regaining the World title down the road.

4. Triple Threat Coming at SummerSlam?

Anyone else think we've got another potential Triple Threat match coming at SummerSlam?

While we've got John Cena vs. Big Show vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship, it looks like we could see Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship as well.

I say that because of the DQ finish to the ADR/Orton match on last week's SmackDown and because it would be hard for the WWE to build up a different feud for Orton prior to the pay-per-view.

I don't see Orton getting left off the SummerSlam card, but if he's not in the World title match, then who will he face? There aren't really many options.

That's why I believe that the DQ finish on last week's SmackDown could ultimately lead to Orton getting thrust into the WHC match at SummerSlam to make it a Triple Threat.

Oh yeah, we forgot about Rey Mysterio, too.

Perhaps he's also added to the match to make it a Fatal 4-Way, much like what we got at Over the Limit back in May.

3. What Transpired Between He and Sheamus Prior to His Suspension

The WWE often completely ignores history because it's convenient.

But I hope the WWE doesn't do that here because there were the makings of a great rivalry between Randy Orton and Sheamus prior to Orton's suspension.

Sheamus inadvertently blasted Orton with a Brogue Kick in a tag team match to cost them the bout; Orton returned the favor by purposely hitting Sheamus with that RKO you see in the video; Orton worked his way into the Fatal 4-Way at Over the Limit; the two had that great singles match on SmackDown back in May.

All of these things seemed to be building toward a major rivalry over the World Heavyweight Championship between the two.

Yet, Orton's suspension appeared to screw up those plans and forced us to sit through the awful feud between Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio instead.

My hope is that the WWE picks back up where it left off back in May with the intense animosity between Orton and Sheamus, resulting in a World Heavyweight Championship feud between two of the WWE's top baby faces.

And if it does, you have to think that Orton could eventually walk away with the title.

2. He’s One of the Few Stars That WWE Would Actually Have Beat Sheamus

Sheamus has been booked ridiculously strongly over the last year or so, especially since he became World Heavyweight Champion.

He almost never loses, and when he does, it's usually because the heel does something cheap or dirty to pick up the victory.

This is, of course, a result of the WWE's recent booking philosophy in which its top baby faces are protected by rarely tasting defeat.

But that's exactly why I think Randy Orton is one of the few stars in the company who could actually beat Sheamus and end his reign as World Heavyweight Champion.

I have little to confidence that—beyond a Dolph Ziggler cash-in—the WWE will put a heel over Sheamus, but I don't feel that way about Orton.

Being a top baby face as well, Orton is protected and booked strongly, too. So, he—and maybe less than a handful of others—are the only real candidates to end Sheamus' lengthy title reign.

If I was a betting man, I'd have more faith in Orton being the one to defeat Sheamus than anyone not named Dolph Ziggler.

1. He Hasn’t Held a World Title in Nearly a Year

Everyone expected John Cena to win his Money in the Bank match and go on to become the WWE Champion because he hadn't held that title in nearly a year.

Well, guess what? Randy Orton is in a very similar position.

Surprisingly, Orton hasn't held the World Heavyweight Championship (or any World title for that matter) since dropping the title to Mark Henry at Night of Champions on Sept. 18, 2011.

That's a really long time for a top star like Orton to go without holding a title that he's held so many times throughout his career.

In fact, Orton hasn't really even been around the World Heavyweight Championship that much over the last year.

Other than that Fatal 4-Way match at Over the Limit, he's largely been absent from the World championship picture since losing his rematch to Henry at last year's Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.

Now, let's ask ourselves this: Do we really expect Orton's World title drought to continue for much longer?

I sure don't.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions on Formspring