What's the story?
As reported by Cageside Seats, Randy Orton challenging Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship is apparently still the planned match for WrestleMania 33. A spanner was supposedly thrown into the works on SmackDown Live when Orton said that he refuses to face his 'master' Wyatt at the showcase of the immortals.
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Orton vs. Wyatt in Orlando has been rumoured for a long time now ever since The Viper joined The Wyatt Family. Talks of the bout intensified to the point where people were expecting Orton to win the Royal Rumble with Wyatt winning the WWE Title in the Chamber, and of course, that has now come to fruition.
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The heart of the matter
At the end of SmackDown Live this week, Orton came out to claim that he wouldn't be challenging Bray for the belt at the Citrus Bowl. However, if this rumour is to be believed then that, of course, would just be part of the storyline.
It's unknown at this stage when Orton is expected to finally turn on the Eater of Worlds with just six SmackDown episodes remaining until the event.
What's next?
Daniel Bryan announced on Talking Smack that there will be a #1 contenders battle royal next week in order to determine who faces Wyatt for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Some fans believe that Luke Harper will triumph in the match, eventually forcing Orton back into the bout, which will make it a triple threat contest.
Sportskeeda's take
It seems odd that they're delaying the turn, but we've learned over the last few months that putting our trust in the blue brand isn't the worst idea in the world. This feels quite similar to Orton's feud with Seth Rollins going into WrestleMania 31 when everyone pretty much knew where it was going and just wanted them to pull the trigger on the face turn.
Inserting Harper into the match would be smart, but alternatively, the bout could work just as well as a singles contest, with Harper instead being a part of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. It certainly adds to the anticipation of the Road to WrestleMania, and WWE could yet throw a curve ball that catches us all off guard.
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