WWE WrestleMania 33: 3 Potential ‘Replacements’ for Randy Orton

WWE.com

1. Luke Harper

The one who makes the most sense to win this battle royal is Luke Harper — and it’s not even close.

More from SmackDown

• Randy Orton signs with SmackDown to go after The Bloodline
• Potential Challengers for Roman Reigns before WrestleMania
• WWE SmackDown Predictions: AJ Styles Will Help Randy Orton
• WWE SmackDown Predictions: Street Profits Will Dethrone Judgment Day
• SmackDown reminded us of how pointless the brand split is

From the moment Randy Orton joined the Wyatt Family, he and Harper had tension. They seemed to have worked it out by the time their SmackDown Tag Team Championship reign came about. Once they lost, however, this ended and turned things back to the normally tense situation.

Now Harper is a babyface for the first time in his WWE career. It’s seen him get laid out by Orton and Bray Wyatt, only to return the favor over the past three weeks, confirming his departure from the Wyatt Family. One of those instances came when he attacked Wyatt before his WWE Championship match on Tuesday, signaling that these two are far from done. So could that have been a tease for this battle royal?

Next: WM 33 Card Projections 7.0; Post-Elimination Chamber

Harper winning would create even more intrigue in the WWE Championship picture, becoming Orton’s “replacement”. Even though the Viper is likely going to go forward with his title opportunity, this should still leave Harper involved and place him in a triple threat with his former Wyatt compadres at WrestleMania 33. It’s something no one probably saw coming just one month ago, but with the quick babyface character build, excellent Elimination Chamber pay-per-view match, and long-standing storyline with Orton and Wyatt, the path is there for him to join the fray.