Did SmackDown sow the seeds for Randy Orton's feud before Roman Reigns? What you might have missed!

Randy Orton joined SmackDown because he has unfinished business with Roman Reigns. The Viper signed the contract and made himself the newest member of the blue brand this week. That being said, WWE may have teased a filler feud for the 14-time world champion.

As seen on SmackDown this week, Orton’s contract signing was interrupted by Paul Heyman. The Wiseman came to the ringside and told The Viper not to sign on the dotted line. Solo Sikoa’s music then hit, and the Enforcer came out to take out the Legend Killer.

It is possible this angle could lead to a mini feud between Randy Orton and Solo Sikoa, before The Viper eventually gets Roman Reigns one-on-one inside the ring at the 2024 Royal Rumble. It was reported that WWE have several opponents lined up for the Tribal Chief and Orton seems to be first one to step up.

The duo were originally scheduled to main event SummerSlam 2022, but Orton’s back injuries got in the way and forced WWE to replace him with Brock Lesnar. The Beast ended his feud with The Tribal Chief in a Last Man Standing Match at the July 30, 2022 premium live event.

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Did Randy Orton tell Paul Heyman to deliver a message to Roman Reigns on SmackDown?

Paul Heyman told Randy Orton he wasn’t going to hit the RKO on SmackDown tonight. The Wiseman had probably forgotten that the last time he delivered this punch line, Brock Lesnar got RKO’ed by the Viper on WWE RAW.

Orton was jumped by Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso, but got an unexpected help from LA Knight. The Megastar took Solo Sikoa away from Orton, allowing the 14-time world champion to hit Jimmy Uso with his DDT and RKO combination.

The superstar then signed the contract and told The Wiseman to tell Roman Reigns that “daddy’s back.” Orton closed out the show by delivering the second RKO of the night on SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis.