Randy Orton 2013

Luckily for “The Viper,” however, things are looking up for him in 2013.

Randy Orton would probably admit that 2012 was a really rough year for him. He had a forgettable WrestleMania feud, got suspended for 60 days and was never really much of a factor in the main event or World title pictures.

Randy Orton 2013 WrestleMania 29

Although Orton only eliminated one superstar in Sunday’s Royal Rumble and didn’t win the match, he was, in a way, one of the Rumble’s shining stars. He wreaked havoc with RKOs galore, and as expected, made it to the final five of the match.

It seems as if the WWE wanted Orton to make a strong statement in the Rumble, and though he could have done a little more to stand out, one thing did happen that makes him look poised to reenter the main event picture soon: He was eliminated by Ryback.

There’s been a lot of chatter about a potential Orton/Sheamus match at WrestleMania 29, and many expected Sheamus to eliminate Orton from the Royal Rumble this year or vice versa.

That didn’t happen, though. Instead, it was Ryback who eliminated Orton from the match and cost him a chance to compete for a World title at WrestleMania.

You have to wonder if there was more to Ryback eliminating Orton than it just being a simple elimination.

If there is, this could be what takes Orton back to the main event picture for the first time in more than a year.

After all, Ryback’s poised to have some type of big Mania match, but it doesn’t look like he’s going to be competing for a World title at the show. Barring something unforeseen happening, the same goes for Orton.

Thus, it would be logical to have these two feud in a main event-caliber angle that culminates with a WrestleMania match. Of course, this could play into Orton’s heel turn, which has been rumored for about six months now, but has yet to happen.