8 Fresh Feuds for Randy Orton in WWE
After years and years of wanting to turn heel, Randy Orton was granted his wish at SummerSlam 2013 when he aligned with Triple H and the newly formed Authority. Orton has always been more comfortable in the role of a villain, but his allegiance to The Authority has hindered him more than it has helped him in the last year.
Orton held the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for close to five months from 2013 to 2014, but he was booked to look weak throughout his entire reign. With losses against the likes of Daniel Bryan, John Cena and even Kofi Kingston, there was no way the audience could take him seriously as champion.
Even after dropping the strap at WrestleMania 30 (for which he never received a one-on-one title rematch), Orton floundered in the upper-midcard with no direction. It wasn't until just recently that new life was injected into The Viper.
In teasing tension with The Authority's Seth Rollins, Orton has had a slow-burning babyface turn in recent weeks. He appeared to officially sever ties with the sadistic stable on the Nov. 3 Raw, and now all signs point to him becoming a full-fledged face upon his return from "injury."
One of the many issues John Cena is currently facing is the lack of opponents he has yet to work with, but Orton doesn't have that problem. The former multi-time world champion has plenty of fresh feuds waiting in the wings, and now that he's more motivated than ever, it's likely we could see at least some of the following rivalries come to fruition sooner rather than later.
Seth Rollins
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The issues between Randy Orton and Seth Rollins date back much further than just recently. The two have never seen eye-to-eye. During his time with The Shield, Rollins often targeted Orton, even defeating him in six-man tag team action at WrestleMania 29.
Orton and Rollins would cross paths yet again a little over a year later when The Shield clashed with a reuniting Evolution. However, the two were forced to coexist after Rollins turned on his Shield brethren on the June 2 edition of Raw and formed an alliance with The Authority.
In many ways, Rollins can be looked at as a young Orton. Cocky and brash, Rollins ascended the WWE ranks early on in his career by associating himself with a big time stable. Sound familiar?
Although they've teamed together on occasion in the last few months, they are far from being on the same page. Rollins' blindsided attack on Orton on the October 27 Raw put an exclamation point on their looming rivalry, as did Orton's RKO on Mr. Money in the Bank the following week on Raw.
Their internal issues reached a boiling point on the November 3 Raw when Rollins beat Orton in clean fashion before brutally attacking him, exiling him from The Authority in the process.
Now that Orton has gone full-fledged babyface, there's no doubting one of the first Superstars he'll set his sights on upon his return will be Rollins. The history is there and they are capable of having a great match. Rollins would greatly benefit from a feud with the former WWE World Heavyweight champion as well.
Cesaro
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Despite being in WWE for only two and a half years, Cesaro has already made quite an impact. He quickly captured the United States Championship in the summer of 2012, but it wasn't until he joined forces with Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter in late 2013 that fans started taking notice of his tremendous talent in the ring.
As The Real Americans, Swagger and Cesaro ran rampant over the tag team division. However, over time, Cesaro grew more and more endearing to the WWE Universe by way of his very popular Cesaro Swing maneuver.
Cesaro scored the biggest win of his career at WrestleMania 30 when he won the inaugural 30-Man Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but it's been all downhill for him since. His pairing with Paul Heyman flopped and he's come up short in every title match he's competed in.
The start of Cesaro's massive momentum can be pinpointed back to when he beat then-WWE World Heavyweight champion Randy Orton in clean fashion on the February 14 edition of SmackDown. Cesaro hasn't been shy to make mention of that victory in recent weeks on commentary and one can only assume Orton hasn't forgotten, either.
The Swiss Superman is still waiting for that one true feud that will elevate him to the main event level where he belongs and Orton fits the bill to perfection. The two have had great matches in the past and it'd give Orton a chance to work with some of WWE's new blood instead of John Cena for the millionth time.
Dean Ambrose
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Similar to Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Randy Orton have crossed paths before during Ambrose's days in The Shield. The two have always been on opposite sides of the squared circle, but their personal animosity for each other reached an all-time high this past summer.
In wanting to get his hands on Rollins, Ambrose has had to battle all members of The Authority in recent months, including Orton. However, despite their many matches together, they have yet to engage in an actual one-on-one feud.
It's surprising, too, given that their crazed characters are so similar. In common they have a derailed mentality and a psychotic side to their respective personas. It's a match made in heaven.
Not only that, but they've also ripped it up in the ring every time they've clashed. They've traded victories since the summer, but Ambrose hasn't been able to defeat Orton by way of pinfall in singles competition.
Although Ambrose is currently embroiled in a rivalry with the returning Bray Wyatt, expect him to shift his focus to The Viper. It'd be a major stepping stone for Ambrose as he ascends the ranks in WWE.
Rusev
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In the last seven months alone, Rusev has had a faster rise to the top than any other WWE Superstar in recent memory. He already has wins over Jack Swagger, Rob Van Dam, Mark Henry and Big Show to his credit.
Each Superstar he faces proves to be a bigger challenge than the last, but in the end, Rusev comes out on top. That said, it's only a matter of time before Rusev finally meets his match. Could that person be Randy Orton?
The new United States champion has laid waste to everyone who has stepped foot in his path of destruction this past year, but Orton is an entirely different animal. The Viper is nothing like anyone Rusev has faced before, meaning Rusev wouldn't be able to anticipate what awaits him.
Orton may not be as pro-America as some of Rusev's past foes, but that doesn't mean he would make for an interesting opponent for the ruthless Russian. If Rusev ends up on Team Authority at Survivor Series, that could be Orton's reason for wanting to take him out.
With the U.S. title now in his possession, Rusev is no longer the hunter but the hunted. Regardless of whether Orton is after his gold or not, he may want to make a major statement by ending his undefeated streak.
Bray Wyatt
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Bray Wyatt has been the talk of the town since his return at the Hell in Cell pay-per-view on October 26. However, it's mind boggling to think that in the last year and a half since his WWE debut, Wyatt has yet to cross paths with Randy Orton.
Like Dean Ambrose, Wyatt and Orton share a similar psychotic mentality that would make for one heck of a feud. Both have been heels since last summer, but with Orton's pending babyface turn, the chances of them crossing paths are likelier than ever.
Orton and Wyatt have history dating back to early 2011 when Wyatt was still going under the name of Husky Harris. It was Orton who put Harris out of commission via a punt to the skull, and the next time we saw Harris on WWE TV, he had been repackaged as Bray Wyatt.
Of course, WWE would never acknowledge that, but it is worth noting that Orton took several shots in a backstage promo during this year's Royal Rumble event, calling the group the "Duck Dynasty" of WWE. It was done to swerve the crowd into thinking they were after Orton, but they ultimately attacked John Cena that night instead.
Still, though, Wyatt and Orton would be a perfect pairing for WrestleMania 31. It's a high profile matchup for both guys and something fans haven't seen before.
Ryback
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Ryback may come off as the odd man out on this list, but hear me out. If he continues to be built back up to the level he was at in 2012, Ryback would be credible enough to engage in a rivalry with Randy Orton.
They, too, have never feuded, nor have they ever gone one-on-one. They've always been on the same side of the spectrum for the most part, but even now that they're both face, that shouldn't stop them from going at it.
Ryback was a force to reckoned with early on in his run in 2012, but following a botched heel turn the following year, his character cooled off considerably. However, he has since rejuvenated his career by returning to his roots by being a babyface and chanting "Feed Me More."
It may not seem like the most logical matchup on paper, but at least it'd be something fresh for both Superstars. A win over the former WWE World Heavyweight champion could really reestablish Ryback as a threat in the main event scene.
On a side note, how cool would it be for Ryback to chant, "Feed Me More-ton?" It's campy, I know, but it's also catchy. How do you think The Big Guy got over to begin with?
Brock Lesnar
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The Ohio Valley Wrestling Class of 2002 produced some of the biggest stars in the history of WWE. John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar and Batista all went on to accomplish great things in the realm of wrestling and beyond.
Although Cena has feuded with all three of them at one point or another, Lesnar has never rivaled Orton or Batista. They didn't reach main event status until Lesnar was already gone from the company, leaving any potential dream matches between them to the mind and nothing more.
Lesnar's shocking return to WWE in 2012 created several possibilities. It was even reported in the Wrestling Observer (h/t Cageside Seats) that Orton and Lesnar were set to feud going into that year's SummerSlam event, but plans changed and Orton was instead replaced by Triple H.
Most recently, Orton competed in a a match against Cena at Hell in a Cell where the winner would earn a future WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Lesnar. Though Orton lost, there's still a chance he could mix it up before The Beast Incarnate's WWE days are done.
Aside from a one-off match on the September 5, 2002 edition of SmackDown, Orton and Lesnar have never had a competitive match against each other. Both have come a long way since then and thus one can only assume what kind of contest they're capable of putting on.
The Rock
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Arguably, the most popular moniker Randy Orton ever had was when he was The Legend Killer. It started in a feud with Shawn Michaels in 2003, but it transcended into much more as years passed.
In subsequent years, he took the gimmick to an all-new level by feuding with the likes of Mick Foley, Hulk Hogan, Dusty Rhodes and other notable names. The gimmick slowly faded away in 2007 as the then-WWE champion embarked on The Age of Orton, never to be brought back.
Of the many Legends Orton attempted to slay, The rock was never among them. Yes, they were on opposing teams at WrestleMania 20, but the real feud there was between Orton and Foley, and Rock was merely a sideshow.
The Rock has crossed paths with several Superstars since his return to the company in 2011 including John Cena, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, but never Randy Orton. It's the one last match for Rock in WWE that not only makes sense from a storyline standpoint, but a business standpoint as well.
There aren't any other established stars in WWE right now that Rock could make money with that he hasn't already faced before with the exception of Orton. Babyface or heel, Orton could look to cement his legacy against The Great One on the road to WrestleMania 31 and it'd make for an excellent feud.
Regardless of whether it'd be Rock's final feud or not, it'd be something for both guys to do at The Show of Shows that wouldn't run the risk of giving the fans something they've seen before.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website at Next Era Wrestling and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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