5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE SmackDown Live (Oct 18)

3. Loser: Randy Orton

The ongoing Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt saga has descended into tedium. It’s hokey, clichéd, and tiresome, and not only does it represent the absolute worst of Wyatt’s act, but it’s bringing out Randy Orton’s bad side too. SmackDown effectively opened with an Orton in-ring promo, and after spending a while talking about losing his mind, Orton was interrupted by Bray Wyatt, a coffin, and Luke Harper.

Orton and Harper wrestled a quick match, but it didn’t last long. Wyatt, the coffin, and a bunch of sheepmen made their way to the ring, Bray attacked Randy for a DQ win, and Kane made the save. The only positive thing you can really say about their contributions this week is that Luke Harper didn’t take a pinfall as this feud continues to plumb the depths.

It’s entirely possible that Bray Wyatt is unsalvageable at this point, but WWE could be doing a lot more with Orton. He’s not in the title picture at the moment, but he’s one of WWE’s biggest and most tenured stars. Since returning from injury, WWE have fed him to Brock Lesnar, and now involved him in a seemingly endless Bray Wyatt feud that the crowd lost interest in several months ago. It’s a gross misuse of a future Hall-of-Famer, and one that’ll hopefully soon reach a merciful end.