In March, Randy Orton turned heel on Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in a brutal and bloody beatdown on his former friend.
Since then, Orton has been hellbent on taking out Rhodes and winning an elusive 15th world title.
After coming up short in his bid for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42 and ending his alliance with Pat McAfee, Orton may need to start his own faction to get back to the top prize on Friday Night SmackDown.
Here are six WWE stars to potentially join a Randy Orton heel faction.
6. Carmelo Hayes
There are plenty of younger stars on the SmackDown roster who have gotten the chance to prove themselves against Randy Orton.
When Carmelo Hayes first made his official main roster debut following the WWE Draft 2024, one of his first opponents was “The Legend Killer.”
Recently, Hayes lost the United States Championship to Sami Zayn and was unable to appear at WrestleMania 42.
Looking to rebound from this loss and setback, Hayes could look to Orton for guidance and join a new potential faction led by the 14-time WWE World Champion.
5. Ilja Dragunov
Speaking of Carmelo Hayes, Ilja Dragunov has been one of his rivals and friends on the SmackDown roster.
After feuding over the United States Championship, Dragunov lost to Hayes and hasn’t been consistently featured on Friday Night SmackDown since then.
“The Mad Dragon” is someone who should be a regular part of the blue brand and may need to join forces with an established star to get there.
Gaining from the guidance and experience from Randy Orton, Dragunov could become an attack dog or enforcer for this new potential stable led by “The Viper.
4. Matt Cardona
Ahead of WrestleMania 42, Randy Orton showcased a brand new attitude and aggression in his attacks on Matt Cardona.
Attacking him backstage and even breaking his arm, Cardona was one of the biggest victims of Randy Orton’s recent heel turn.
In a case of “if you can’t beat em, join em,” Cardona could choose to join forces with Orton.
Cardona turning heel by becoming part of Orton’s faction could bring out the side of himself that made him one of the most successful independent wrestlers of all time and led to his recent return to WWE.
3. Royce Keys
At WWE Royal Rumble 2026, Royce Keys made his debut with the company as an entrant in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match.
After biding his time for multiple weeks, Keys would reemerge to make his WWE main roster TV debut on the Friday Night SmackDown brand.
It did not take Keys too long before he won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal and showcased what makes him someone who should be feared by all.
Needing an enforcer for this potential group, Orton could recruit the former Powerhouse Hobbs and become a force to be reckoned with immediately.
2. Ricky Saints
After a year on WWE NXT, it was announced that Ricky Saints was on his way to the main roster.
The May 1 edition of Friday Night SmackDown will see Saints making his debut and look to make a name for himself in a similar fashion as he did on NXT.
Saints walks into Friday nights as a former NXT Champion, NXT North American Champion and AEW World Tag Team Champion.
Considering his real life friendship with Cody Rhodes, Orton could recruit Saints to betray the Undisputed WWE Champion and further get under his skin with this new faction.
1. Sami Zayn
Over the past few months, fans have seen a notable change in the personality of Sami Zayn.
Always known as a popular underdog babyface, Zayn’s loss to Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WWE Royal Rumble 2026 led to some frustration being shown towards those around him.
With Cody Rhodes being the biggest victim of this anger being shown by his friend, Zayn has displayed some jealousy towards “The American Nightmare” and gained guidance from Randy Orton as a result.
Seeing what Orton has accomplished by never hesitating and the recent crowd reactions he has garnered, Zayn could choose to side with “The Legend Killer” in his new stable and no longer care what the fans think about his actions.
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