Randy Orton is all set to challenge the ‘Eater of Worlds’ Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship and if one is to believe the odds-makers, the Viper shall emerge victorious, dethroning Wyatt on the grandest stage of them all.
The buildup to the Wyatt-Orton WWE Championship matchup, although initially criticised, has involved several intriguing segments with the most noteworthy of them being one in which Randy burnt down the Wyatt Family Compound.
That was followed by Bray bathing in the ashes of Sister Abigail and rejuvenating himself in the process.
Also read: Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg: WWE WrestleMania 33 match odds, preview and winner predictions
The upcoming ‘Mania matchup involves a lot of variables going in, including a possible interference from ex-Wyatt family member Luke Harper. Bray Wyatt’s meteoric rise to the top has been something to behold and come Mania ‘The Viper’ has one hell of a fight on his hands.
Nevertheless, most odds-makers have Orton as the favourite going into WrestleMania 33.
The Betting Odds:
Despite facing a monumental task against his former master Bray Wyatt, Orton is being touted as the betting favourite by several odds-makers with the most notable of them being Skybet that lists The Viper as a 1/6 favourite to win the WWE championship at Wrestlemania.
Orton is a +600 favourite to dethrone the reigning Champion Bray Wyatt who enters the fight as the underdog at -100.
Now although Wyatt is one of the most ‘over’ Superstars in the WWE, he has done more than his part to put fellow performers over by taking clean losses in more than a fair share of matchups. This may be one of the reasons behind the odds being stacked against the Wyatt Family patriarch.
Besides, Orton is a 12-time WWE World Champion with a penchant for winning big fights. Considering that, the Viper entering this year’s Mania as the betting favourite isn’t really all that surprising.
The Preview and Prediction:
Fear of the unknown:
Randy Orton was afforded a huge push by the WWE since day one, and rightfully so- The Viper stayed loyal to the company even during its dark phase (mid-to-late 2000s). Orton has had more than his fair share of title runs and headlining spots with the company, with a few of them being impressive whereas others being outright dull.
On the contrary, when you look at Bray Wyatt, he’s really stepped up his game after a losing performance to The Undertaker back at Wrestlemania 31. Going into this matchup, what makes this fight more and more of a tossup is the fact that his former ‘servant’ Luke Harper’s shadow looms large over the WWE Championship matchup.
Truth be told, we as fans can merely speculate whether Harper interferes in this matchup if he does at all. And if he does, there’ s no telling how he could effect the outcome.
Bray Wyatt’s unique aura:
Wyatt has carved a unique niche for himself in the WWE, in the sense that he doesn’t really need to win in order to keep his aura intact. The case in point is his aforementioned matchup with The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 31- a loss that did nothing to dent the air of mystery that always surrounds the Eater of Worlds.
On the other hand, when you look at Orton’s track record in big-time matches and the WWE’s booking of The Viper, you’ll see a pattern that shows him losing only to the best of the best (Cena, HHH, etc), at ‘Mania. And before you people jump to point out his losses to a low-level mid-carder like Wade Barrett, mind you, he may take such losses on say a RAW and now SmackDown’s weekly episodes, NOT on a high-profile PPV like Mania.
Randy Orton may have performed in his fair share of matchups, jobbing to two-bit nobodies like Barrett, but when it comes to the big fights, The Viper knows how to slither his way to victory.
His penchant for winning high-profile matchups, his resume as a 12-time WWE world champ and the possibility of Luke Harper attacking his former master Bray Wyatt, make me lean towards Orton becoming the new champ come Wrestlemania.
As much as I want Bray to win and start a feud with Luke Harper leading up to future SmackDown PPVs, I’m gonna have to stick with Randy Orton to dethrone Wyatt at Wrestlemania 33.
Who knows, WWE may be planning to set up a future Orton-Harper feud in order to elevate Luke’s star-power and boost his already awesome in-ring performances. Regardless of who wins at Mania, look for the WWE to use Harper in some capacity in the WWE Championship matchup.
Prediction: Randy Orton wins.
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