WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Predicting 10 Biggest Spots
8. The Viper Strikes
Bray Wyatt might be the most gullible man in wrestling at the moment. Everybody knows that Randy Orton has been plotting to shove a knife in his back from the moment he first joined the Wyatt Family, and Bray’s the only one who doesn’t realise it. Luke Harper has tried to warn him, but Wyatt just won’t listen, and it looks increasingly likely that his trust in Orton will be his downfall.
The Wyatt Family are on the verge of destruction, and Orton’s pulling the strings. He and Harper will attempt to settle their differences in the ring on this week’s SmackDown, but it’s too late. This has been The Viper’s endgame from day one, and the fans are dying to see him turn on the Family. It’s a potentially huge moment, and one that should turn Orton into a gigantic babyface again, particularly if they pull it off at the Rumble.
There’s no sense in wasting the Family’s implosion on a random episode of SmackDown, and all three of them are set to appear in this year’s match. Allies fighting one another has been a reliable Rumble cliche for years, and the Wyatts’ impending meltdown makes them ideal candidates to fill the role this year. There’ll likely come a time when all three are in the ring at the same time, and when it happens, it’s time for Orton to go rogue.
Orton isn’t among the favourites to win this year, but having him turn on Bray to eliminate him last and take the match would be the ultimate way to pull this off. Randy would find himself back in the title hunt for the first time in a long while, and it would set him and Bray up for a big showdown at Elimination Chamber in February.