After missing almost eighteen months of competition due to injuries, Randy Orton made his ring comeback this past Saturday by helping his team win WarGames at Survivor Series. After returning to the fold, Orton was asked on Friday night’s SmackDown whether he would be a superstar on Raw or SmackDown.
Raw and SmackDown both made tempting offers to Orton, but in the end, his decision was motivated by the opportunity to exact revenge on The Bloodline. Orton will always be a Friday night mainstay.
Raw loses to SmackDown for Randy Orton
Paul Heyman addressed SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis early in the event regarding Aldis’s intention to extend an offer to Orton for a SmackDown contract. Aldis informed Heyman that he would sign Orton regardless of whether he needed to give up the entire Bloodline in order to close the deal. Later, Raw general manager Adam Pearce confronted Aldis and announced that he would be approaching Orton directly to persuade him to sign with Raw.
Aldis and Pearce held their contracts while Orton entered the stage to end the performance. With the winner of the forthcoming match between Seth Rollins and Jey Uso, Pearce offered an instant shot at the world heavyweight championship. Aldis promised Orton The Bloodline so he could exact revenge on the men who kept him out of commission for eighteen months. Heyman announced from backstage that The Bloodline would decide for Orton before he could make up his mind.
After following Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa into the ring, Orton and Sikoa engaged in a brawl until Orton gained the upper hand. After LA Knight saved the day, Orton hit Jimmy Uso with an RKO. Orton took both contracts, tossing the Raw contract out of the ring and signing a deal with SmackDown.
What other events took place on SmackDown?
Butch is defeated by Bobby Lashley via a spear pinfall.
Joaquin Wilde is defeated by Santos Escobar via pinfall using a Phantom Driver. After the game, Escobar kept on his offensive, calling on Dragon Lee to save the day. Escobar attempted to sneak up on Lee after the fight, but Lee effortlessly warded him off.
Logan Paul confronted Kevin Owens following the announcement of an eight-man tournament to determine the top contender for his United States championship. Owens assured Paul that the ring is his home and that he will triumph in the competition to put an end to Paul’s daydream of becoming a champion. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller emerged and traded blows with Owens until Owens punched Theory out of the ring.
Grayson Waller is defeated by Kevin Owens in roll-up pinfall. Paul had been watching the match on commentary, and he was furious with Owens’ victory, so Theory meddled throughout.
Kairi Sane is defeated by Bianca Belair via pinfall and a KOD. In the first segment of the broadcast, Bianca Belair highlighted her team’s victory at the Survivor Series inside WarGames. Belair then brought Iyo Sky a note stating that she was coming to reclaim her title. Damage CTRL was then revealed, without Bayley, and Dakota Kai stated that Belair would need to go through the entire program in order to be considered for a title opportunity.
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