At Extreme Rules, the WWE finally gave in to the demand and brought back Randy Orton as a heel.

In the space of three days - including SmackDown LIVE - he was able to get fans talking a lot more than what many called an underwhelming run as a face.

RETURN

It's clear to see that The Viper enjoys being the despicable antagonist a lot more than trying to be somebody who wants to put a smile on faces - that's just not him.

Although he hasn't been brought back into the WWE Championship picture, the company decided to have him target Jeff Hardy instead after he lost the United States Championship in five seconds to Shinsuke Nakamura.

This allowed The King of Strong Style to capture gold for the first time on the main roster, but initially, many assumed it was for very different reasons, and understandably so.

It's no secret that Jeff is suffering from multiple injuries.

This includes problems with his back which has stopped him from using the Swanton Bomb, there's said to be a neck issue while there's also a nerve problem which has left him with numbness in his fingers.

So, the feeling was that the quick title loss would allow him to take some time off to heal up.

However, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has revealed that taking time off isn't what's really happening.

TRIPLE THREAT

As we saw on SmackDown earlier this week, The Charismatic Enigma did get somewhat physical in his rematch against Nakamura, before The Viper came down to the ring and launched another heinous attack on the fan favourite.

According to NoDQ.com, Meltzer has reported that the real reason WWE had Orton attack Hardy is so that he can slot himself into the United States Championship picture.

This means that at SummerSlam, Nakamura is expected to defend his championship against both Orton and Hardy.

The source has indicated that the angle was never created to write Jeff off of television, and the five-second loss to Nakamura at Extreme Rules was so that other matches on the night were given enough time.

For example, Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins went into overtime after their 30-minute Ironman match.

The belief is that Hardy is going to continue working through the live events despite his nagging injuries, including SummerSlam in what is said to be a triple threat match between three of SmackDown's biggest stars.

What do you make of the reason why WWE had Randy Orton attack Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules and SmackDown LIVE? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.

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