How Randy Orton Can Re-Enter World Title Picture at WWE WrestleMania 33

Randy Orton has doubled down on his allegiance to The Wyatt Family by vowing to not face Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33. This is coming on the heels of a thrilling Royal Rumble win that has helped him carry over his 2016 resurgence to the new year. 

And as SmackDown Live scrambles to find a No. 1 contender, few expect Orton to be permanently held out of a WWE Championship matchup against Wyatt in an event that would mark The Viper's fifth world title match at WrestleMania. 

SmackDown has shrewdly set up ensuing shows to culminate in a dramatic reveal of Wyatt's opponent. The drama will increase tenfold if it is Orton and only him. 

If WWE opts to include the pesky Luke Harper, one way for Orton's return could be at the behest of Wyatt himself. With his sights set on his former leader, Harper came close to winning SmackDown's 10-man Battle Royal on Tuesday. In fact, Harper actually won the event due to a botched finish, but AJ Styles' feet landing on the floor first did not play into WWE's plans.

Jake Barnett of ProWrestling.net described the awkward ending as "a muddled and unsatisfying finish to the show." He went on to note "Luke Harper clearly won, and WWE will have to burn all the footage to make you believe differently."

If Harper is able to break through to an unlikely WrestleMania main event, Wyatt asking Orton to participate in a Triple Threat matchup could extend Orton's seemingly inevitable betrayal all the way until April. 

The problem with that scenario is that Orton's feud against Wyatt is several months in the making. Harper and Wyatt only recently fell out with little warning. Harper received quite the positive response for rebelling against Wyatt at Royal Rumble. Still, it's too early for a Harper-Wyatt showdown, especially on a stage as big as WrestleMania. 

Orton, on the other hand, has been embroiled in a rivalry-turned-alliance with Wyatt dating back to August. The program has progressed nicely, with Orton fully committed to his strange bedfellow. The pair made for convincing tag team champions on SmackDown. Even in defeat, Greg Parks of PWTorch noted the "crowd seemed more interested in the Wyatts than [American] Alpha." 

The fan anticipation for Orton to strike is reminiscent of the buildup to WrestleMania 23, when tag team champions John Cena and Shawn Michaels worked as a cohesive unit right up until the go-home show, where Michaels' shocking Sweet Chin Music on Cena sent the Allstate Arena into a frenzy. 

Michaels foreshadowed his big moment by vowing Cena would "never see it coming," and Rated-RKO further instigated the situation by featuring a vignette showing Michaels' past betrayals. 

In the age of social media, WWE does not need such aggressive hints, as the writing is always on the wall. Fans are waiting eagerly for Orton's most pivotal RKO since January.

WWE has protected the intoxicating aura of Wyatt by booking the current WWE champion to demonstrate authority over one of WWE's most reclusive Superstars. But nothing takes precedence over the logo that hangs in WWE rafters each year during WrestleMania season, and as the event draws near, it should provide enough motivation for Orton to snap out of his spell. 

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.