Possible plans for Daniel Bryan-Randy Orton feud

Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan

Right now, Randy Orton is the WWE Champion, and he’s headed into Night of Champions to defend the belt against Daniel Bryan, in a pseudo-rematch from SummerSlam.

At the PPV, Bryan shocked the world and cleanly pinned John Cena to win his first WWE Championship. However, Bryan’s celebration was cut short when the guest referee for the match, Triple H, laid Bryan out with a Pedigree.

Moments ago, Randy Orton appeared ringside, teasing that he would cash in his MITB briefcase, which he then did successfully after the Pedigree. The aftermath has seen Orton form a new Corporation-type stable with Triple H, the McMahon family and the Shield, who do much of the “dirty work” for the faction.

While there is a good chance Orton is walking out of NoC still as a champion (likely a result of a DQ or count-out), this won’t be the end of the feud between him and Bryan. Bryan is expected to be a fixture in the main event scene for at least as long as Cena is out rehabilitating an injury, for around 4-6 months.

Right now, the plan is for Bryan and Orton to feud all the way through January at the Royal Rumble, giving them around 6 months from beginning to end, starting with SummerSlam. What does this mean for the championship? There are a few possibilities.

The first is to have Orton defeat Bryan repeatedly in their matches, only to have Bryan finally get his comeuppance near the end and move onto a feud with the returning Cena.

The second option is to have a title change during this feud, giving Bryan the belt and having him drop it again later on in the feud.

The third option is to have title switches several times over the next couple months, something WWE did with Orton and Cena several years ago.

The last option is the weakest, as WWE wants longer title reigns, especially when a longer reign makes sense. The second option is possible, but still pretty weak, as it kind of damages the feud in stopping Bryan from being the hunter. The first option, Bryan winning the title at the end of the feud, makes the most sense.

Bryan can continue his build, while Orton is given ample time to really make the crowds hate him (reactions to his heel turn are still mixed at the moment). Plus, it gives us the Bryan/Cena championship rematch.

Cena is entitled to a rematch when he gets back, regardless of who the champion may be, since he never got to face Bryan after SummerSlam. Cena then may move onto a feud with Orton, which was the original plan before Cena was injured.