Reported Reason Behind Randy Orton’s Heel Turn

One of the most widely used truisms in WWE is that Randy Orton is better as a villain. And apparently, it’s an idea that Orton himself is well aware of.

According to WrestleVotes, a Twitter account with an ear behind WWE’s curtain, Orton has been lobbying to once again be a bad guy. And upon his return from a knee injury, WWE granted him his wish.

“Regarding Randy Orton’s heel turn, it has been something he’s wanted for a while now. Orton definitely pushed for it. I’m expecting him to be the top heel on SmackDown going forward. With him, Nakamura, Joe, Miz & Almas, SD has a strong mix of main event level heels.”

Orton’s run as a babyface was by no means bad—he did become WWE Champion—but with such a slithering persona, it’s best for everyone if he’s doing terrible things. And since his return at Extreme Rules, that’s bee The Viper’s exact agenda.

While most of that hostility has been saved for Jeff Hardy, Orton fired off a scathing promo targeting the state of professional wrestling on this week’s episode of SmackDown. At the moment, it looks like Orton will stay in the US Championship picture with Shinsuke Nakamura. Current expectations have Jeff Hardy returning in time to make a SummerSlam triple threat match for Nakamura’s title, but that cannot be confirmed yet.

As WrestleVotes mentions, Orton joins a group of elite heels on SmackDown. Given his pedigree, it’s not hard to imagine Orton climbing back into the Blue Brand’s main event later this year.

As one of the most established names in the company, Orton’s brand is already made. Even more, he still has the most popular finisher in all of WWE. A now that he doesn’t have to present to be a good guy, Orton be set for a career renaissance of sorts.

At 38-years old, Orton still has plenty of time to pack his Hall of Fame resume. While WWE is certainly in the middle of a youth movement, the presence of veterans is vital. However, while on the older end of the spectrum, Orton is in a great spot to succeed. Many wrestlers don’t reach their career’s apex until their mid-30’s. By then they’ve learned enough about the craft to go out and confidently perform on a nightly basis. and now that Orton is back to being a bad guy, I think it’s safe to expect exceptional results from the 13-time World Champion.

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