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Randy Orton could not have asked for a better time to return as WWE builds towards another high-profile WrestleMania season. Vince Russo recently explained why the company must book The Viper to turn on Cody Rhodes, and that should happen before the Royal Rumble.
Orton returned to the ring after a lengthy hiatus at Survivor Series at the request of Cody Rhodes, who worked under the veteran star during his days in the Legacy faction.
It has been well established that Orton and Rhodes share a great friendship in kayfabe terms and real life. However, a Randy Orton heel turn can never be ruled out, and that's exactly what Vince Russo wanted to see on WWE TV.
During the latest episode of Writing with Russo, the 62-year-old stated that WWE finally had two "valuable pieces" in Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes after a long time.
Rhodes has been drifting between storylines as he awaits another shot at Roman Reigns, and Vince Russo believed Randy Orton turning on Cody could give WWE more time to stretch out the narrative.
"Now they've got two very valuable pieces. If it were me, I would have Orton turn on Cody Rhodes immediately. Bro, you call me when you need me? Meanwhile, I've been sitting at home for a year and a half, and I haven't heard from you once. Out of the gate, bro. Now, you can stretch that out if you still want to get to Cody and Roman Reigns; you can stretch that out for a good while." [5:11 - 5:50]
While Randy Orton has arguably done some of his best work as a heel, he remains one of the most loved talents on the roster, which Vince Russo feared may hinder his run as a bad guy.
Russo continued:
"Because Orton has been away for so long, and everybody loves the RKO. Are you gambling with them, making Orton the babyface? I mean, would people get behind Orton if he turns on Cody Rhodes?" [7:10 - 7:37]
No babyfaces are allowed to have facial hair: Vince Russo pitches an epic WWE storyline idea for CM Punk
In case you missed the recent episode of Writing with Russo, the show was all about CM Punk possibly being unveiled as the head of WWE's new kayfabe disciplinary committee.
As part of the fascinating story, Vince Russo and co-host Dr. Chris Featherstone proposed several ideas that could make CM Punk a hated heel.
Vince Russo wasn't done adding threads to the proposed saga around Punk and said the Second City Saint could potentially bring back an old Vince McMahon rule, which stated that no babyfaces were allowed to have facial hair.
Russo envisioned a scenario where Punk abused his newfound authority-like powers and made babyfaces like Sami Zayn suffer because of his decision.
"What about this? He is going to institute a rule in honor of Vince McMahon because this was a rule instituted by Vince a very long time ago, and we've gotten away from it. No babyfaces are allowed to have facial hair. Bro, make Sami Zayn shave that beard and cut that up! Bro, there is so much (they can do)." [From 14:10 onwards]
Vince Russo also spoke about Ricochet changing his name to join forces with CM Punk as part of the disciplinary committee angle, which you can read more about here.
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