Citing Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter , Sportskeeda has reported that Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton will face each other in a Firefly Funhouse match at this month’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
The pair last competed at last month’s TLC event in an Inferno match. The showdown ended with Orton setting his opponent on fire, which led to Wyatt being written off of television.
As the article highlighted, it was suggested that Wyatt could be set to take a break from Monday Night Raw for the foreseeable future, but if the latest development is true, he could return to screens very soon.
The latest episode of Monday Night Raw saw Wyatt’s ally, Alexa Bliss, plead with Orton to set her on fire. The show ended with the lights going down and “The Viper” lighting a match, ending the episode on a cliffhanger. The fallout of the angle should make for some interesting storytelling, and it could also lead to Wyatt’s comeback.
Should the bout go ahead, it will mark only the second-ever time that a showdown of this ilk has taken place in WWE history. The first one happened at last year’s WrestleMania 36 , featuring Wyatt against John Cena.
As the Sportskeeda article pointed out, the Cena and Wyatt showdown was met with a mixed response. While some fans loved it due to its cinematic nature, wrestling purists hated it because it didn’t resemble a traditional bout in any way.
It’s possible that some fans won’t be excited about the latest news due to the divisive nature of the Firefly Funhouse. However, the cinematic style of the rumored Royal Rumble collision should make for some never-before-seen scenarios.
Wrestling Inc noted that WWE the aim with the Orton and Wyatt angle is to turn the latter superstar into a babyface. Both competitors are heels at the time of this writing, which makes the storyline stand out. Officials tend to prefer booking feuds between babyfaces and heels, so creating one around two performers from the same side of the moral spectrum is a fresh change of pace.
Their feud also came off the back of a short-term World Championship run for Orton. The veteran superstar lost the title to Drew McIntyre on a recent episode of the red brand’s weekly show. As The Inquisitr noted, the reason for him dropping the gold was to facilitate a champion-versus-champion fight between McIntyre and Roman Reigns down the line.