Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt Feud Poised to Outshine Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar

On the strength of the sinister and unsettling journey awaiting Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt, WWE SmackDown is set to outdo the Raw brand at the top of the WWE WrestleMania 33 card.

Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar is the bigger match, the marquee bout designed to entice casual fans. It will receive more hype and hyperbole. It will be The Show of Shows' true main event.

Orton vs. Wyatt, though, will outclass that meeting of behemoths with a superior story, more engaging action in the ring and the impact of its aftermath.

On Tuesday's SmackDown, Orton defeated AJ Styles to lock up the No. 1 contender's spot. The blue brand toyed with the audience for the past few weeks but eventually settled on the expected showdown been former allies within The Wyatt Family.

WrestleMania's two top bouts are now official—Goldberg will defend the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar; Wyatt will look to fend off Orton to retain the WWE Championship. 

That first contest will be massive. It's a battle of icons, a redemption tale that began over a decade ago. Lesnar and Goldberg are two of the most recognizable names on the roster today.

It's clear why WWE wanted this match to be a key part of WrestleMania.

Compared to Orton vs. Wyatt, however, its build and the bout itself will disappoint. Raw won't be able to compete with SmackDown's headline feud thanks partly to creativity.

Orton's chase of Wyatt's title will allow WWE to head in more intriguing, unexpected directions. This is the story of a cult unraveling, of a puppet master finding that one of the wooden men at the end of his string is now his enemy.

These men began as rivals last year when The Viper traveled to Wyatt's smoke-filled lair. Orton eventually submitted to The Eater of Worlds and pledged allegiance to him, even when he won the Royal Rumble which allowed him a shot at Wyatt's WWE title.

That partnership saw the predators capture the SmackDown tag team titles and look unstoppable. That was until Orton ended their alliance on Feb. 28 by way of burning down the Wyatt Family compound and basking in the flames.

You will not see any burned and desecrated refuges in Goldberg vs. Lesnar.

Their rivalry has and will be a more traditional one. It will be a meeting of two angry, testosterone-heavy beasts banging heads. That's often a winning formula, but SmackDown will have the power of novelty and innovation on its side.

Orton vs. Wyatt can go to places its Raw counterpart can't. It can reach into the supernatural, infuse the occult or break new ground.

Their feud has been one of the best things on WWE TV of late. As Adam O'Brien of Daily DDT wrote, "This has been a spectacularly booked rivalry from start to finish, one that's seen Wyatt take to unforeseen heights." With the spotlight of WrestleMania and the title now involved, things only promise to blossom more.

The actual match will be miles better, too.

To avoid exposing a 50-year-old Goldberg, WWE has limited his time in the ring to an astounding level. He's fresh off a title match against Kevin Owens that was shorter than most commercials. Goldberg looked gassed just walking to the ring on Sunday. His 22-second match left him drenched in sweat.

Radio host Bill Matz is among those concerned about the brevity of Goldberg's WrestleMania bout:

Beyond that, one has to wonder how much Goldberg has in him. Can he pull off a WrestleMania-worthy match at this stage in his career? Can he avoid getting injured at the worst possible time?

There are far fewer concerns going into Wyatt's title defense against Orton. Wyatt is a 29-year-old rising star, a performer who excelled at Elimination Chamber and in a title match the following Tuesday on SmackDown.

Orton is one of the crispest workers on the roster, the kind of athlete who makes every movement look effortless. He and Wyatt will produce at WrestleMania.

It's harder to say that with confidence about Lesnar and Goldberg. 

And it will be easier for the audience in invest in the SmackDown world title match. It will be more significant to the future of the brand than Goldberg vs. Lesnar will. Blame the fact that Goldberg is likely to depart after The Showcase of the Immortals. He's been a short-term special attraction.

Wyatt, meanwhile, is only getting started. His story is still in its early stages. 

A win would signify that he's among the top stars in WWE. A loss would force him to climb back up the mountain after his wounds heal. Either of those narratives will be more relevant than Goldberg's non-existent post-WrestleMania tenure.

WrestleMania may soon be home to Wyatt's opus, the culmination of one of the more inventive stories WWE has told. It will be the site of a legacy-changing chance for The Eater of Worlds, a coronation of a dark prince. Goldberg and Lesnar, with all their might and muscles, won't be able to top that.