Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns Has Become an Afterthought on SummerSlam Card

At one point, Randy Orton’s feud against Roman Reigns rivaled all others as the most physical feud heading into SummerSlam.

Just two weeks ago, Orton’s prolonged beatdown on Reigns was effective in portraying him as a legitimate threat to a rising star, who, to this point, has been presented as virtually unstoppable.

The feud has been fueled by Orton’s rage toward Reigns, who prohibited Orton from accepting a spoon-fed WWE World Heavyweight Championship match on the July 21 episode of Raw.

That segment saw the two WWE Superstars brawl into the crowd before Brock Lesnar accepted the title shot in place of Orton. Orton and Reigns have been at each other’s throats since—with the exception of Monday’s show.

Given the theme of physicality between Orton and Reigns, even limited interaction between the rivals would have helped add momentum to their match ahead of SummerSlam.

Monday's Raw saw almost every major feud get physical.

Dean Ambrose ambushed Seth Rollins after hiding out in a decorative gift-wrapped box. Brie Bella caught Stephanie McMahon in a Yes Lock. Even The Miz was involved in a rare brawl with Dolph Ziggler. While Chris Jericho and Bray Wyatt did not physically engage, they were at least featured in a well-paced interview segment that furthered their rivalry.

Orton and Reigns, however, had no such interaction. As the theme of physicality and personal conflicts spread throughout the SummerSlam buildup, Reigns and Orton barely acknowledged one another—let alone touch.

Their match will suffer as a result.

With such an eventful show, where WWE focused on budding tension between multiple rivals, the Reigns vs. Orton match is closer to the undercard than the main event.

There was no face-to-face confrontation or heated brawl. Instead, each WWE Superstar was made to compete in a tune-up match.

Orton went over Sheamus clean in a match that exceeded its stale reputation. Meanwhile, Reigns earned a clumsy disqualification victory over RybAxel.

Outside of a paint-by-the-numbers post-match promo by Reigns, the conflict between these two was not escalated on the most important Raw before SummerSlam.

SummerSlam is a loaded pay-per-view, headlined by what WWE is calling the biggest fight of the summer. Many other feuds have been building over a long-term period of time. Contrasted against an impressive card, the Reigns-Orton feud seems undercooked.

Considering this will be Reigns’ first singles match on pay-per-view, WWE is off to a cold start to the singles career of a potential future world champion.