Backstage reason why Randy Orton was made to drop the WWE Championship

Randy Orton became a 14-time WWE World Champion at Hell in a Cell. However, The Viper's reign as RAW's top dog would not last long as Drew McIntyre managed to regain the WWE Championship on the RAW before Survivor Series this week.

The initial belief was that Randy Orton will remain the WWE Champion until WrestleMania 37 where he would likely face Edge in their third match since Edge's return to WWE. However, the sudden change of plans by WWE had fans and critics perplexed.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter has now revealed that the key reason for Orton losing the WWE Championship was to make Survivor Series more interesting. The backstage belief was that Randy Orton would lose to Roman Reigns at the show thus making the main event lackluster.

''It’s more interesting, not just because you have a face vs. heel dynamic, but the belief was Reigns would beat Orton, while with McIntyre, you have the two most protected guys on the roster facing each other. Of course with no title at stake and a high chance of interference, the result isn’t all that important.''

Roman Reigns will now be taking on Drew McIntyre at Survivor Series. Both men have been pushed as the top stars on their respective brands and the match has already gained a lot of buzz. One reason is that it will be a fresh match and fans are interested in knowing if WWE is confident enough in Drew McIntyre to put him over the Tribal Chief.

What's next for Randy Orton?

It is expected that Randy Orton will have at least one more match with Drew McIntyre before he moves on to another feud. It is also clear that the third match between Edge and Randy Orton will not be for the WWE Championship as planned initially.