Everyone’s favorite Legend Killer, Randy Orton, is not available right now. The 13-time World Champion is currently out injured, and is not expected for a couple of months. Heck, he might even miss Summerslam.
Still, when he does return, he will be a happy, healthy, and hydrated Randy Orton. We all know what that means. A happy Randy is a motivated Randy, and very few people can match Orton when he’s motivated.
Since he’s returning soon, he’s going to need some people to fight. Here are some people who could bring out the best of the Viper.
AJ Styles
It still amazes me to think that AJ Styles and Randy Orton have only fought each other once. And that was more than a year ago. It was such a quality match that it’s a wonder the two haven’t had a proper, honest-to-goodness feud yet.
Should Styles still be holding the WWE Championship by or after Summerslam, Orton would be a great challenger for him. It’s been nearly a year since Orton’s last WWE Championship match, and he’d be a welcome addition to an already stacked main event scene. And neither man has to turn; Orton is a dick who attacks everyone, and Styles is just a really angry guy.
They could also feud without the title, but then one of them would really have to turn. Thing is, both men are so over that they will always be cheered, even if they slaughtered a dog right in the middle of the ring and then set its corpse on fire.
Both men are getting old (but Orton’s younger by a couple of years), so if this feud is going to happen, it needs to happen soon.
Also, Phenomenal Forearm into an RKO.
shinsuke nakamura
Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura used to be buddies and all, but that was before Nakamura showed his true colors as a dick-puncher. Granted, Orton may not know about Nakamura’s low blows, and even then, I doubt he’d care all that much. But what if Nakamura punched his former friend in the dick?
I will admit that the above scenario is a terrible way to start a feud. But it’s crazy to think that Orton and Nakamura were on the same roster for a whole year, and they only had one match. And it was a match to determine who would face Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship (2017 was a weird year).
If Nakamura takes the United States Championship from Jeff Hardy, then he and Randy Orton can fight over the star-spangled belt. If Orton and Nakamura put on some great matches over the US Championship, it would do wonders for both men as well as the title.
samoa joe
I do not think that Randy Orton and Samoa Joe have had a proper one-on-one match yet. They fought for a bit at Survivor Series 2017, but don’t feel bad if you forgot about that. No one remembers Survivor Series 2017.
Anywho, this would no doubt be an interesting match-up. Randy Orton is a tough guy to have in-ring chemistry with, but I think he and Joe could put on an absolutely great match. Their styles are quite different, but I think they will mesh well.
The psychology in this match would be insane. Both men are used to being dangerous predators in the ring, so to see how they would react to each other would be a sight worth seeing.
These two men need to have a proper feud soon, because there is so much potential here.
andrade “Cien” Almas
As of now, the only time Andrade Almas and Randy Orton encountered each other was in the Royal Rumble. Almas attempted a springboard attack, and he ate an RKO for his troubles. That’s it.
Almas just recently arrived on Smackdown, and if he is going to be a big deal, a feud with the Viper would be a great way to make a name for himself. And let’s not forget, Almas has a five star match to his name (not that that means anything now that we have seven star matches). He could bring out the absolute best in Orton.
Andrade wrestles a fast-paced style that could mesh well with the Apex Predator. I feel that some of Randy’s best matches are against those whose energy he can feed off. Almas could be the guy to give Orton his first ever five star match.
SaNITY
Guys, get this. Sanity gets all up in the Viper’s business and becomes a real pain in the ass for Randy Orton. For once, the Viper is no longer the more unhinged one in his battles. So he snaps and allies himself with Sanity, and cuts a promo saying “if you can’t beat them, join them.”
Together, Orton and Sanity wreak all kinds of havoc on Smackdown, and then Randy wins the Royal Rumble. In an even more shocking turn of events, Eric Young wins the WWE Championship. Meanwhile, distrust runs deep in Sanity, and Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe are exiled from the group. In a shocking turn of events, Orton then betrays Young and cuts a promo saying “if you can’t beat them, join them, and when the time is right, screw them!”
Young and Orton face off against each other at Wrestlemania, and then Orton wins the WWE Championship.
How cool would that be?
