Opinion: WWE might be building towards a Randy Orton vs Roman Reigns feud for the WWE Championship
The History
Roman Reigns and Randy Orton began a very promising feud back in 2014. An up and coming singles competitor in Roman Reigns took on grizzled veteran Randy Orton. Reigns showed everyone what he was capable of in a featured singles match on a major PPV.
Here's a video where WWE used their video game as a promotional tool and correctly predicted the outcome of the 2014 SummerSlam match.
The two have had some run-ins during the Shield vs Authority angle as well. They've proven they have the chemistry. The difference between 2014 and 2019 is that Roman Reigns' popularity is at an all-time high now. The crowd obviously got behind Roman (with good reason) when he announced he had leukemia and then returned. WWE has handled his return masterfully, not overexposing him or ramrodding him into the title picture.
Were they preparing for this earlier this year?
Back in April, the pro wrestling world was abuzz with the possibility that Reigns and Orton might be entering into an extended feud. The rumors were flying and videos of dark matches began to appear. These dark matches are often used as a way to build in-ring chemistry for two Superstars that will have an upcoming feud.
Speculation began to lean toward a match between the two at SummerSlam 2019. That match obviously never happened as Orton battled for the WWE Title and Reigns tried not to get run over by a car. It's looking more and more like they were preparing this feud to be for the WWE Championship later this year.
What needs to happen?
Orton needs to defeat Kofi Kingston, whether it's at Clash of Champions or soon after. Kofi has had a nice run, but with SmackDown Live going to Fox, it is likely that we are going to see a more established champion take the belt.
An Orton/Reigns feud seems like just the thing to get SmackDown Live off to a great start in their new relationship with Fox. We know Eric Bischoff has shown a tendency to lean on the established stars, and it doesn't get more established than Reigns and Orton.
If the fans stay behind Reigns, and Orton stays the evil heel he is, this could be a feud for the ages. It has the potential to headline any PPV, including the main event of WrestleMania.