Bray Wyatt remained the WWE heavyweight champion after the events at the Feb. 14 issue of WWE SmackDown. The “Eater of Worlds” faced John Cena and AJ Styles but still came out with the gold.
This means that the rumored match between Wyatt and Randy Orton is still technically on for Wrestlemania 33 in April. But on SmackDown, Orton supplicated himself to Wyatt, pledging that he will not challenge the “Eater of Worlds” for the title, WWE.com reported.
With Orton refusing to face Wyatt for the WWE heavyweight title, a battle royal will be held on the Feb. 21 edition of WWE SmackDown to determine who will challenge the “Eater of Worlds” for the title in Orlando, Sky Sports reported. While that make sense, it does not totally erase the “Viper” from the picture.
The battle royal will likely see John Cena, AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Dean Ambrose and the Miz leading the pack. These were the same protagonists at the WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view where Wyatt snagged the championship from the Cenation leader.
Assuming that these are the main figures in next week’s WWE SmackDown battle royal, the card may be nothing more than to backup storylines. In previous weeks, John Cena has been tied up to a possible feud with The Miz while most saw the developing clash between Baron Corbin and Dean Ambrose.
AJ Styles is technically the one who doesn’t have a dance partner yet though much of that could be revealed next week. For Orton, it will be interesting how he would get involved in the mix unless a Triple Threat match is booked instead for Wrestlemania 33.
For those who have followed the Orton and Wyatt storyline, these two started off as rivals. For some reason, the “Viper” aligned himself with the Wyatt Family. Luke Harper showed initial apprehension but was eventually booted out of the faction.
Orton could be playing Wyatt for now, using the divide and conquer strategy. A clearer picture of what the real score is should crop up in the coming weeks.
Check out the video below showing Randy Orton vowing not to engage Bray Wyatt for the WWE SmackDown title.