Randy Orton Confirmed For WWE SmackDown

Randy Orton will be on SmackDown this Friday following a Raw appearance that made clear exactly where his head is at. Orton was announced for the March 20 show shortly after his segment on Raw, where he brushed off a scheduled interview with Michael Cole, choosing instead to take a phone call and then dismiss Cole entirely before delivering a pointed message.

Orton said he had been in contact with someone who reminded him of who he was — a killer. He punctuated the moment with a direct reference to Cody Rhodes’ theme song, saying “wrestling has more than one royal family” before walking off.

Orton’s Turn on Cody Rhodes Was One of SmackDown’s Most Violent Moments in Years

The context is fresh and brutal. On last Friday’s SmackDown, Orton turned on his former friend Rhodes in vicious fashion — ripping off his shirt, smashing steel steps into Cody’s head to draw blood, and then placing Cody’s head against the steps and striking it with a steel chair while officials scrambled to intervene. The segment ended with Orton sitting on the chair inside the ring holding the WWE Championship over a battered Rhodes.

Friday’s SmackDown in addition to Orton’s appearance also features Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre, Kit Wilson calling out Jelly Roll, the Women’s Tag Team title match between Nia Jax and Lash Legend against The Bella Twins, and the Motor City Machine Guns taking on Fraxiom.