Heel Randy Orton suddenly becomes a fixture on WWE SmackDown Live | Bleacher's report

Drowning years into mediocrity, Randy Orton finally regained his place at the top of the totem on SmackDown Live as one of the show's most fascinating characters.

Since the beginning of Orton's career at WWE, he is much more comfortable. a heel only like a babyface. His years as The Legend Killer in 2004 and then as The Apex Predator in 2009 were better than anything he achieved during his various babyface stays in the years that followed

. away from The Wyatt Family in early 2017. Unlike his subsequent feuds with Bray Wyatt, Jinder Mahal and Rusev, Orton now has something substantial with Jeff Hardy.

After taking the time Orton had the opportunity to come back in May to undergo surgery on an injured knee. It would have been easy for the WWE to bring him back to the same stagnant babyface that he had been since 2015, when his RKO surprises were the only thing about him that excited the audience.

Instead, Orton gave a blow to his former US champion during his unexpected return to Extreme Rules and planted the seeds for a heel turn. His status was sealed two days later on SmackDown when he viciously attacked Hardy and spiraled him onto the commentator's table.

Orton's actions were sufficient to spark the interest of fans, but it was only afterwards on SmackDown that he showed signs of growth as a character for the first time. once in appearance forever.

Although he's never been the most captivating talker, Orton has done an outstanding job of establishing his motives for turning his back on the WWE Universe. its promo Tuesday night. He also made it clear that he was targeting all other babyface on the blue mark.

Orton will return to his roots as The Legend Killer, except at this point in his career he will be aiming at SmashDown's most beloved babyfaces. It's a simple character trait, but having it announce its intentions will make the crowds worry about it a lot more.

The brutal badault of Hardy by Orton at the end of the July 17 SmackDown Live only touches the surface of what he wants.

Hardy is a logical back home for Orton considering that they have a history of ten years and have worked well together whenever they fought in the ring. As The Charismatic Enigma is such a fan favorite, it will not take much of Orton's efforts to get hated by fans.

Throwing Shinsuke Nakamura and the US Championship in the mix at SummerSlam also brings a feeling of cool quarrel. Their likely Triple Threat at pay-per-view next month has the potential to steal the show while continuing Orton's hot heel.

From there, Orton could revive his rivalry years ago with Daniel Bryan or even rivalry with a new opponent, like AJ Styles. Anyway, it will be the TV not to be missed.

From Orton to Samoa Joe to The Miz, SmackDown currently has a strong crop of heels. This is in addition to promising players like Andrade "Cien" Almas and Shinsuke Nakamura, although Orton has proved that any angle in which he is involved is sure to take precedence.

As a former 13-time world champion, Orton has no doubt surpbaded his homework as a highlight in the main stage. Despite this, like veteran veteran Chris Jericho, The Viper always finds ways to reinvent himself and stay relevant, with his latest heel becoming a great example.

SmackDown has a handful of scenarios that are worth investing in right now. The evolution of Orton will be particularly fun to follow with the approach of SummerSlam.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a former student of Endicott College and a budding journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on everything related to wrestling.