Randy Orton recently returned to TV during the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, and he made a statement when he delivered a vicious beating to Jeff Hardy.
Orton has been targeting Hardy, and he cemented his status as a heel on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live when he cut a promo ripping on indie darlings.
There are some fans out there who feel that Randy works much better as a heel, and it appears that The Viper also agrees with that sentiment.
According to WrestleVotes, the heel turn was something that Randy Orton himself pushed for, and it’s something he’s wanted for a while.
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.
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) July 26, 2018
Right now Orton’s match for SummerSlam isn’t confirmed, but based on what’s been happening on SmackDown over the last few weeks it’s expected that Orton will face Shinsuke Nakamura and Jeff Hardy in a triple threat match for the US Title.