Projecting When Randy Orton Will Turn Heel on the Road to WWE WrestleMania 34

All eyes are on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn as we head into Clash of Champions 2017, but Randy Orton turning heel could be the bigger story as the road to WWE WrestleMania 34 gets underway.

Orton has been nothing more than a pawn in this program between Owens, Zayn and SmackDown Live authority figures Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan. He has traded wins with the former NXT champions in recent weeks on SmackDown yet has come across as an afterthought in the angle.

At Clash of Champions, he and Shinsuke Nakamura will team up to take on Owens and Zayn in a tag team match where Owens and Zayn will be "fired" from all of WWE if they lose. Could that be where The Viper finally flips the switch and journeys back over to the dark side?

Credit: WWE.com

Sports Betting Dime's Trevor Dueck picks Owens and Zayn as the favorite to win (1-19), so the outcome isn't in doubt whatsoever. With Bryan serving as a special guest referee for that bout, he could play a factor in the heel duo emerging victorious.

That would obviously further tease tension between Shane and Bryan, but if that storyline isn't leading to anything significant, Owens and Zayn should win by other means. Thus, Orton turning on his partner would be the perfect—and more unlikely—way for him to turn heel.

Not only would that ensure Owens and Zayn stay employed on the blue brand, it would kick off a feud between Orton and Nakamura heading into WrestleMania 34 and give them both something worthwhile to do.

Nakamura had a hot first few months on the main roster before fizzling out following his feud with Jinder Mahal over the WWE Championship. Those two losses to The Modern Day Maharaja did damage to his momentum and he has yet to be involved in anything to help him recover.

Granted, the previously suggested approach would mean he has to eat defeat again at Clash of Champions, but at least it would serve a purpose this time. In fact, Orton would be an ideal star for Nakamura to work with to rebuild credibility en route to potentially winning the Royal Rumble match.

Of course, Nakamura is one of many men who could feasibly come out on top in the 2018 Royal Rumble match and, as fellow Bleacher Report columnist Chris Mueller wrote, his push may have stalled simply because Creative has nothing for him at the moment.

That said, a program with Orton, the winner of last year's Rumble match, would be beneficial for both parties. Orton needs an opponent who can bring the best out of him, and if their first one-on-one encounter was any indication, Nakamura is certainly capable of that.

After all, it's no secret that Orton prefers to a portray a heel over a babyface. He said as much on E&C's Pod of Awesomeness (h/t Wrestling Inc) in September, so this would surely please The Apex Predator and give him a reason to be motivated again.

If not at Clash of Champions, Orton will desperately need to turn heel at some point prior to WrestleMania 34, but perhaps WWE will wait a little longer to pull the trigger on the turn.

Credit: WWE.com

At this point in time, SmackDown could use some credible heels, and Orton would fill the role effectively. Mahal's days as a main event player could be over as early as Clash of Champions (assuming he loses to AJ Styles), and Baron Corbin needs more seasoning before he can move up the card.

Speaking of Styles, he and Orton would be remarkable rivals in time for WrestleMania, if WWE doesn't go with the money match of Nakamura vs. Styles. That would instantly reestablish Orton as a viable threat to the WWE Championship and lead to a stellar series of matches between the two during 'Mania season.

Plenty of time remains between now and WrestleMania 34, so regardless of when it happens, Randy Orton returning to his evil roots should be considered a must for 'Mania.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.