5 awesome things which happened on SmackDown Live this week - 17 July 2018

#5 Randy Orton goes old school

Jeff should try and watch for those 'voices' inside Randy's head the next time

Hey guys, although WWE is PG, most believe the company said screw it for this segment, as Randy Orton assaulted Jeff Hardy in a TV 14 manner, and if it felt a little bit too crazy for you to watch a heel being a heel, why are you watching wrestling in the first place?

This is the freaking Randy Orton people have been waiting to see for almost half a decade, as the watered down babyface Orton doesn't hold a candle to heel Orton, as WWE let The Apex Predator off the leash on SmackDown Live, and what people got was a vicious, relentless beat-down that only further proved that SmackDown creative have more freedom than Raw's.

Orton slammed Hardy's head into the steel steps with no remorse, threw him all around ringside, DDT'd him off the announce table and nearly ripped his ear off. This scene was brutal, messy and nothing like what WWE has produced in months, as this had fans asking why can't this booking be prevalent in every programme.

And for #BringBackTheAttidtueEra peeps out there, WWE did this for you, as this was a more violent Orton that fans would remember - with nostalgic intent punting men and women, RKO'ing retired veterans and just been an overall world class badass heel.

This is the Randy Orton the WWE Universe needs, and that is exactly what the creative team has realised.