Randy Orton Reportedly Unhappy With His Position On ‘SmackDown Live’

Earlier this week, it was rumored that Lana and Rusev were unhappy and had requested their release from WWE. The Ravishing Russian debunked the rumor, but it brought attention to Randy Orton’s role with the company since he went to bat for Rusev and Lana. The Viper has had a very successful year, but he’s found himself stuck in the midcard again on SmackDown Live without a direction heading into the fall months.

It was revealed that Randy Orton defeated Rusev in such a short match at WWE Summerslam because the powers that be felt he needed the big win on PPV, especially after losing to Bray Wyatt and Jinder Mahal as much as he has over the past couple of months. After the biggest party of the summer, it’s unclear what the creative plans are for the Viper moving forward, which is not something that he is happy about right now.

It has been reported that Randy Orton is unhappy with his position on SmackDown Live and has become a bit frustrated with his booking lately. There have been rumors about Orton possibly moving to Raw if there is another “Superstar Shakeup” soon, but it doesn’t seem that will be happening for some time. As a result, Orton will remain on “the blue brand” until next year, which means he may have to wait for his next rivalry.

SmackDown Live has become an extremely competitive roster, especially since the brand just added Bobby Roode as well. A veteran like Randy Orton who has been on WWE programming for 15 years may need to take a backseat to a lot of the new talent. There is no question that Orton is still an important part of the roster, but WWE officials giving him a “Roman Reigns push” on SmackDown Live isn’t likely anymore.

For the foreseeable future, it seems that WWE officials want to book Randy Orton in the midcard to help a lot of new talents get over. There is a lot for The Viper to accomplish in his current role, but his frustration may be a result of being underutilized and not being moved to Raw. It’s extremely unlikely that Orton will request his release based on his status and the money he makes, but it could be a frustrating time for him.

[Featured Image by WWE]