Randy Orton Officially Signs With SmackDown

Highlights

• Randy Orton's exclusive contract with SmackDown sets up a major feud with Roman Reigns for the Undisputed Universal WWE Championship.
• Orton's confrontation with Paul Heyman and surprise attacks show that he cannot be trusted, adding to the anticipation of their upcoming showdown.
• The path to facing Reigns may involve Orton working his way through Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa, but the exact timing and event of their ultimate clash remain unknown.

In the closing moments of SmackDown on Friday night, the Viper, Randy Orton officially signed a contract with the blue brand. The big tease going into the show on Friday night was that Orton would be returning to SmackDown for the first time in over a year. Both SmackDown GM Nick Aldis and Raw GM Adam Pearce wanted to sign Orton to an exclusive contract. It was at the end of the show that fans learned Orton's fate.

For Adam Pearce, he was willing to offer Orton the chance to face the winner of the Seth Rollins versus Jey Uso match next week. Aldis, on the other hand, was willing to feed The Bloodline to Ortonso he could see his revenge. As the final segment of the night began, and both GMs made their pitch, the wise man Paul Heyman came to the ring and cautioned Orton not to sign with Smackdown. Suggesting The Bloodline would make his decision easy, Sola Sequoia and Jimmy Uso came down to the ring and tried to sneak attack the Viper. Outnumbered, LA Knight's music hit and he came down to make the save.

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Now Is The Time For Randy Orton To Turn Heel

Randy Orton made his long-anticipated return last Saturday at Survivor Series. The question is, when are we going to see the real "Viper" strike?

Once the ring had mostly cleared, Orton delivered in RKO to Jimmy Uso, then grabbed both contracts from both respective GMs, dropped the RAW contract, and signed the SmackDown deal. Orton then looked at Paul Heyman grabbed the mic and said tell Roman Reigns that Daddy's back. Heyman was livid, but Aldis was thrilled. He entered the ring to raise Orton's arm, only to get an RKO out of nowhere. Announcer Michael Cole reminded fans that you can't trust Orton.

Orton Is a Big Signing For SmackDown

The fact that Orton is officially exclusive to SmackDown is big news for the blue brand. It also teases that Orton will have his sights firmly set on Reigns and the Undisputed Universal WWE Championship. That lines up the next main event feud on the brand and gives Reigns a worthy challenger after narrowly getting by LA Knight at Crown Jewel.

Considering Reigns isn't a regular, it's logical to assume that Orton will have to work his way through both Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa to get to the Head of the Table. That shouldn't be an issue. Where these two finally meet up, -- likely at The Royal Rumble -- is not yet clear.