Heel Randy Orton Rescues SmackDown, A Frustrating WWE Trend and More Reactions

WWE TV can use all the excitement it can get going into the final stretch of 2025, and for SmackDown specifically, Randy Orton turning heel might be the answer to the show's recent woes.

The Undisputed WWE Championship scene has largely been uninteresting for the better part of 2025. WWE has needed a significant storyline to heat it up again, and Orton betraying Rhodes and gunning for the gold again would accomplish just that.

Although the two are bound to collide on an upcoming premium live event, Rhodes will first face off with Raw's Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel while Orton will be left off the card entirely. As it stands, only four matches are advertised, and even if a fifth is added, several notable names are going to be absent.

It's become a frustrating trend for WWE PLEs to stretch a four-to-six match card into a three-hour-plus event. The less-is-more approach can at times be refreshing compared to All Elite Wrestling's marathon pay-per-views, but there is a happy medium that both companies could benefit from.

From Jey Uso adopting more of an aggressive edge to Andrade's AEW return being a lateral move, these are the top takeaways from the week that was in wrestling.

How Heel Randy Orton Can Rescue SmackDown's Struggling Main Event Scene

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Despite the match not having any real stakes, WWE is doing everything imaginable to make Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins as interesting a main event as it can be for Saturday's Crown Jewel by playing off their extensive history.

Meanwhile, SmackDown's main event scene is suffering from a lack of compelling stories.

Rhodes' rivalry with Drew McIntyre was cut short at Wrestlepalooza and should be eventually revisited, but Rhodes vs. Randy Orton is the biggest attraction that can be built toward on the blue brand right now.

As much of a WrestleMania-worthy encounter as that is, SmackDown could greatly use heel Orton before then to give the show the life it's been lacking for some time. It's been teased for well over a year and fans are eagerly awaiting the moment he finally drops Rhodes.

The Viper has arguably been underutilized for most of this year and is ready to emerge from Rhodes' shadow.

It won't be an instant fix for every problem plaguing SmackDown right now, but heel Orton will provide fans with more of an incentive to tune in weekly than almost anything else aside from Sami Zayn's United States Championship open challenges.

How and When to Book Oba Femi on WWE's Main Roster

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Oba Femi's loss of the NXT Championship to Ricky Saints at last week's No Mercy immediately led to speculation from fans regarding whether he was main roster-bound.

Between winning the 2023 men's Breakout Tournament to becoming the longest-reigning NXT North American champion of all time to dominating as NXT champion throughout 2025, The Ruler has virtually done it all on the brand and is more than ready for a main roster call-up.

Anyone expecting to see him on Raw or SmackDown imminently shouldn't be setting their hopes too high. Dave Meltzer reported in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Femi is earmarked for NXT for the foreseeable future, though it's possible he's secretly brought up soon.

WWE shouldn't have the 27-year-old anywhere near Raw or SmackDown until there's a proper plan in place to use him as the massive star he has the potential to be. Floundering without direction for months on end would do him no favors.

Having him answer Sami Zayn's open challenge and win the United States Championship in decisive fashion would be the best bet as far as establishing him as a force to be reckoned with from the get-go, but that shouldn't be until Royal Rumble season at the earliest.

Femi could also be used on Raw in a program with either Gunther or Logan Paul where the credibility boost he'd gain from beating them would cause his stock to skyrocket upon arrival.

Andrade Returning to AEW Is a Lateral Move

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Andrade wasted no time in taking his talents back to AEW following his abrupt departure from WWE mere weeks ago. In his Dynamite return, he laid out Kenny Omega and aligned himself with The Don Callis Family.

While English-speaking promos have never been Andrade's strong suit and Callis can help him on that front, he is in no better position than he was when he left WWE, where he was quickly developing amazing chemistry with Rey Fenix and was a regular fixture in the SmackDown tag team and midcard divisions.

Even when he was last in AEW two years ago, he was racking up wins over Brody King and Bryan Danielson, among others. As the fourth-most important member in The Don Callis Family, it isn't as if he's going to be in a much more lucrative spot than he was before.

Being as exceptional as he is in the ring, Andrade's second stint with AEW should spawn some great matches, but with little changing within the promotion since he left, there's no reason to believe he'll be much better off this time around.

Anything above being a background player in Callis' overstuffed stable would be an encouraging sign.

Jey Uso Must Adopt More of an Aggressive Edge

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Turning Jey Uso heel would have been unfathomable idea only a matter of months ago, but now it's considerably more plausible with Roman Reigns returning to Raw and planting the seeds for the possibility.

Uso's mini feud with LA Knight has strangely seen Uso show more selfish tendencies, reminiscent of Reigns' Tribal Chief character at its peak. Shortly after fending off The Vision last Monday night, Reigns gave Uso a pep talk that seemed to hint at Jey continuing to embrace his heel persona from years ago while brother Jimmy looked on confused.

Uso has maintained his immense level of popularity since losing the World Heavyweight Championship earlier this year and remains a valuable asset to the company. So, although a character change is necessary, a full-fledged heel turn would likely fall flat because that isn't what a majority of the current audience want to see from him.

At the very least, this should mark the beginning of Uso adopting more of an aggressive edge and phasing out the less-serious elements of his character. It won't necessarily lead to him winning another world title anytime soon, but it will keep him fresh and allow him to add to his stagnant presentation.

The timing couldn't be better with Survivor Series: WarGames fast approaching and Reigns needing to recruit his team to combat The Vision.

WWE Can Afford to Expand Painfully Small PLE Cards

WWE's PLEs tend to be hit or miss, even if the crowds consistently deliver.

On paper, Crown Jewel in Australia has the potential to be a strong show based on what's already been advertised, including Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins and Stephanie Vaquer vs. Tiffany Stratton in champion vs. champion matchess, Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky vs. The Kabuki Warriors, and John Cena vs. AJ Styles for one final time.

Roman Reigns is expected to be added in some form or fashion, likely for a match against Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. However, that would bring the total amount of matches up to five, which is still too low for a company that boasts plenty of top names that are routinely being left off these shows.

Saving stuff for television does make Raw and SmackDown more worthwhile occasionally, but bigger bouts such as Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black in a Last Man Standing match belong on a PLE and would add more variety to these events.

There's a happy medium between WWE shortchanging its audience with smaller cards on PLEs and AEW delivering marathon shows with an excess of above-average matches that could be forgotten about once the night is through.

Sheamus vs. Rusev somehow made the card for Clash in Paris, but that was only an exception. No one in WWE's midcard is going to get beyond a certain level if they aren't being showcased on its grandest stages.

The pacing of the PLEs has noticeably gotten worse as a result, but adding another match or two would make all the difference.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.