Bray Wyatt (C) vs. Randy Orton
WWE Championship match
The Road to WrestleMania
Well, it’s certainly been a long one.
Incredibly, this feud began during a commercial break all the way back on Aug. 16, 2016, when Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan walked by Randy Orton. Needless to say, it has developed a bit since then.
After being taunted two weeks in a row by Wyatt after his SummerSlam loss to Brock Lesnar, Orton announced his master plan to the world in an allegorical story Sept. 6, 2016—in a stunningly honest admission of what was to come. Apparently Bray must have never seen this promo, because if he had, it sure seems unlikely he ever would have welcomed Orton into the Family.
A brief feud between Wyatt and Luke Harper in opposition to Orton and Kane ended abruptly when Orton RKO’ed his partner Oct. 25, 2016. The Viper had apparently become tired of losing to the Wyatt Family’s numbers game—including a loss at No Mercy when Harper returned—and said simply later in the show, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”
Orton ostensibly joined the fold the next week (Nov. 1, 2016), but it was clear from Day One that Harper didn’t trust a word he was saying. For the following few months, Harper stared daggers through Orton at all times, convinced that The Viper was insincere in his commitment to the Family, and Wyatt. Orton very much played into this, because despite saying and doing all the right things to Bray, he continuously stepped on Harper’s toes (saying the “Run” gimmick before Harper could, grabbing the tag titles out of Harper’s hand upon the Family winning them, claiming he and Bray were “the only two that mattered,” etc.).
But Wyatt was very much blinded by the success brought by his new “follower.” Orton and Wyatt teamed up to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championships from Heath Slater and Rhyno at TLC Dec. 4, 2016. But their reign was rather short-lived.
After losing the SmackDown Tag Team Championships to American Alpha on Dec. 27, 2016—and their rematch for them Jan. 10 of this year—tensions were high in the Family, with Harper blamed for both defeats (though there’s a legitimate question of whether Orton very deliberately engineered the title loss, including laying down for the pin).
Upon losing their rematch, Harper and Orton scuffled, with Bray barely able to keep the pair apart. But when Harper attempted to hit Orton with a superkick, he hit Bray instead. The following week (Jan. 17) saw Harper again interfere, this time in an Orton match vs. Dean Ambrose, and again be blamed for a loss. Again Harper and Orton scuffled afterward, but with Harper unwilling to back down, Wyatt struck his loyal lieutenant to keep him at bay. Stunned, Harper pointed at Orton and yelled, “He did this.”
Randy smiled in the background throughout the whole thing. His plan to tear the Wyatts apart was working a treat. The crowd, sensing that now was perhaps the time, chanted “RKO! RKO!” Orton was tempted, but held off despite his rather demonstrable desire.
Orton defeated Harper in a singles match Jan. 24, prompting Wyatt to give Harper Sister Abigail and banish him from the Family. Orton’s plan was massively succeeding— and his stock rose even more when he won the Royal Rumble five days later.
But things in the Family grew complicated when Wyatt won the WWE Championship inside the Elimination Chamber Feb. 12. Two days later, Orton made a bold proclamation that as long as “he was the servant” and Bray the master, Orton would refuse to face Wyatt at WrestleMania for the championship.
This prompted SmackDown Live to run a battle royal to crown a new number one contender Feb. 21. When that resulted in an apparent tie between Harper and AJ Styles, the pair squared off one week later (Feb. 28), with Styles emerging victorious.
That very same night, Orton, given “the keys to the kingdom” by Wyatt (and thus no longer the servant), struck—burning down the Wyatt Family cabin and resting place of Sister Abigail.
With Harper, who was the emotional heart beat of the feud for so long, removed from the picture, and the Wyatt cabin burnt down, the story seemed to lose its way in the last few weeks before Orlando. First, Orton confirmed the WrestleMania match by beating Styles March 7. Wyatt then went to the site a week later (March 14) and “bathed” in what he claimed to be Abigail’s ashes, saying she was a spawn of Satan and that now her powers ran through him. Typical Bray.
Along with a herd of followers in sheep masks, Wyatt attacked Orton the following week (March 21) and appeared to knight him with a “Crusix.” (A word WWE made up.) Why he just let Orton go, who knows, though the Wyatts have never been good at keeping prisoners.
This backfired just this past Tuesday (March 28) when Orton showed up again at the Wyatt cabin—did they seriously not have any security in the area?—somehow carrying a Crusix (did Bray really just give it to him?), which he then smashed into the dirt covering Abigail’s grave site, claiming that this would end her power over Bray once and for all.
So, yeah. Months and months of subtle build, with a compelling emotional hook and genuine excitement for what was to come, suddenly devolved into outright hokiness with only a few weeks to the finish line. Regardless, the match should—hopefully—be a violent slugfest, and with both Harper and Erick Rowan unaccounted for tomorrow, is likely to have some twist in the tale.
What’s at stake?
The top prize in sports entertainment and a “Champion of WWE Mindgames” plaque. For Orton, it’d be yet another jewel in a decorated career, but ultimately mean very little to his legacy. But a Wyatt win would cement his status as a legitimate main event player for years and years to come—and at only 29 years old, would greatly benefit a star for both the present and future.
Find out Sunday during WrestleMania on the WWE Network—and stick around right here on Cageside Seats for recaps and analysis of this match and the rest of show.