Randy Orton to turn heel and betray his real-life friend, shocking twist at SummerSlam - 4 Ways WWE can bring back The Viper

Solo Sikoa's Bloodline has been wreaking havoc on WWE SmackDown for months, and they have now targeted Cody Rhodes and his friends. The faction decimated Randy Orton on the July 12 episode of the blue brand when he tried to save The American Nightmare from them in the main event.

It seems like The Viper has been written off television for a while, as he did not appear on the latest episode of SmackDown. This did not go unnoticed among fans, as many expected him to team up with Cody Rhodes in the main event.

With that being said, let's take a look at four possible ways WWE could bring back Randy Orton.

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#4. Randy Orton turns on Cody Rhodes

For the past couple of months, Randy Orton has subtly hinted going after the Undisputed WWE Championship. Every time he looks at Cody Rhodes' title, it seems like he is going to betray his friend to get his hands on it

The Viper has not been a World Champion since losing his fourteenth title to Drew McIntyre in 2020, which is why his desire to regain the title seems logical.

Moreover, Orton always works better as a heel than as a babyface, so him going back to his dark side seems like a matter of time. Backstabbing one of the biggest babyfaces in the company, who is also his friend, would immediately make fans hate him again.

Therefore, he could show up in the main event of SummerSlam to betray Rhodes after The American Nightmare successfully defends his title against Solo Sikoa. In another scenario, he could do it on an episode of SmackDown after SummerSlam when Rhodes celebrates his potential win against the new Bloodline leader.

After the inevitable return of Roman Reigns at The Biggest Party of the Summer, Rhodes can feud with The Viper over the title as Reigns will be busy dealing with Sikoa.

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#3. Randy Orton costs The Bloodline the WWE Tag Team Championship

Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa of The Bloodline are set to participate in a Gauntlet match for a shot at DIY's WWE Tag Team titles on the upcoming episode of SmackDown. They will most likely win the bout to get a match against Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano at SummerSlam or on the SmackDown before SummerSlam.

It is possible that Randy Orton shows up during that match to distract or attack the Tongans to prevent them from winning the titles. This would be the perfect revenge for what they did to The Apex Predator during his last SmackDown appearance.

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#2. Randy Orton and Kevin Owens feud with The Tongans for the WWE Tag Team titles

The Bloodline is the strongest faction in the company right now. The company may want to repeat history by putting the Undisputed WWE Championship on Solo Sikoa and the WWE Tag Team Championship on Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa, something Roman Reigns and The Usos have previously achieved.

If the Tongans win the Gauntlet match on the upcoming episode of SmackDown, it is possible that they go on to dethrone DIY as the Tag Team Champions in the near future.

This could lead to a feud between R-KO and The Bloodline for the titles if Randy Orton returns to join forces with Kevin Owens once again.

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#1. Randy Orton helps Cody Rhodes retain his title

Randy Orton has been eyeing the Undisputed WWE Championship for the past couple of months. However, he may not turn on Cody Rhodes anytime soon, and it may be just a swerve planned by Triple H.

The Viper could return during Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa to help The American Nightmare retain his title. This would be the perfect way to avenge The Bloodline's assault on him two weeks ago.

This way, the Stamford-based promotion could also make the inevitable Orton heel turn more unpredictable.