Randy Orton's Apparent Babyface Turn Breathes Life into Match with John Cena

Randy Orton's long-awaited road to resurgence took a significant turn Monday on Raw, and the result could breathe life into another match against John Cena.

Seth Rollins has gained momentum as a top heel each week, with WWE shrewdly booking him as an opportunistic, entitled sellout who not only commission others to fight his battles but does so at the behest of The Authority.

Run-ins with top stars Dean Ambrose, Cena and WWE world heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar have made Rollins a wanted man. Raw was built around a pay-per-view-caliber main event between Cena and Ambrose to determine who would have the elusive opportunity to face Rollins in a match.

Talk about a wanted man.

Through it all, Orton—a 12-time world champion—has been stewing in the background, his character slowly developing from one-dimensional henchman to disgruntled star.

Orton has conveyed his frustrations with Rollins several times in backstage segments with The Authority as his sentiments continue to line up with that of the average fan.

Fans seem to have picked up on Orton's deliberate turn. He received cheers against babyface Dolph Ziggler all while playing to the crowd much more than a heel is supposed to.

The eventual staredown between Orton and Rollins later in the night resulted in more cheers for Orton, who is steadily becoming the lesser of two evils just as quickly as he is representing a greater good.

James Caldwell of the Pro Wrestling Torch noted "the market research [Monday night] shows the audience more behind Orton than Rollins if forced to choose sides."

Orton's actions have come in light of a much-speculated babyface turn as well as a recent report by F4WOnline (h/t WrestlingInc) discussing WWE's plans to turn him babyface within the next three to four months.

As Orton's character becomes more revived, his otherwise monotonous feud with Cena suddenly becomes interesting. Orton will face Cena in a Hell in a Cell match for the second time—in addition to countless other matches between the two—but the subplot of Orton vs. Rollins will add meaning to the result.

Orton is still out to prove his worth to The Authority while showing up Rollins, and the current Money in the Bank winner has the same intentions in mind.

Comparing the outcomes of Rollins' and Orton's matches at Hell in a Cell will almost certainly be a focal point of storylines moving forward, rendering Orton's match with Cena more of an intriguing one-off than a rerun.

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