WWE Rumors: Summer plans for SmackDown Live and the WWE Championship
What’s the story?
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has reported that the feud between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton is likely to end at WWE Payback, with Orton winning the House of Horrors match and ultimately winning the feud.
Whilst most assume that Orton will then segue into a WWE Championship feud with Shinsuke Nakamura or AJ Styles, the WON is speculating that Baron Corbin may be the one to get the nod for the summer feud, as Nakamura isn’t considered ready and Styles will be feuding with Kevin Owens over the WWE United States Championship.
In case you didn’t know...
Randy Orton followed up his literal burning of Bray Wyatt’s kingdom by defeating The Eater of Worlds for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33. A rematch between the two has been booked for WWE Payback 2017, with the match billed as a ‘House of Horrors’ bout.
Whilst it isn’t entirely clear what this means, the match is expected to be gimmick heavy, with ‘creepy’ visuals and special effects almost certain to be involved.
Also read: What does a WWE House of Horrors match mean?
Bray Wyatt was drafted to RAW this past Monday as part of the WWE Superstar Shake-Up, and Orton will be in need of a new feud ahead of SmackDown Live’s next pay-per-view in May. AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura are currently the top two major full-time stars on the blue show’s roster.
The heart of the matter
Orton defeating Wyatt to win the feud and retain the WWE Championship isn’t surprising in the slightest, as deposed Champions rarely win their rematches and Wyatt’s new role on RAW means it is unlikely he will take SmackDown’s top Championship with him.
What is surprising is that Dave Meltzer is speculating that the ‘Lone Wolf’ Baron Corbin will be next in line for a championship feud against The Viper.
Corbin is still an inexperienced professional wrestler, and his recent feud with Dean Ambrose was his first major singles beef on the main roster if we ignore the never-ending lacklustre story with Dolph Ziggler in 2016.
With experienced and popular stars such as Sami Zayn, AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura also on SmackDown, Corbin is something of a left-field choice for the title feud. WWE obviously has high hopes for Corbin however, and whilst it is unlikely to see him win the WWE Championship this year, the experience of competing for the belt will be invaluable.
What’s next?
Orton will defend the WWE Championship at WWE Payback against former champion Bray Wyatt, and when the House of Horrors match comes to an end their feud will also follow suit.
Orton’s next challenger will make himself known in the meantime, and with AJ Styles likely to challenge Kevin Owens for the WWE United States Championship and Nakamura only just arriving on the main roster, Corbin finds himself next in line all of a sudden.
Author’s take
Whilst it seems ridiculous that Baron Corbin can be considered ‘more ready’ in any sort of pro wrestling context over Styles, Nakamura, Zayn and others, the post-WrestleMania season is traditionally a time when WWE tries new things and pushes younger stars.
Corbin has been a solid presence on SmackDown Live over the last year or so, and a potential feud with Orton could push the Lone Wolf to the next level.
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