Randy Orton Challenges Roman Reigns To Royal Rumble Title Match On WWE SmackDown

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns returned to "WWE SmackDown" tonight in a celebratory mood, citing Christmastime and calling for a promotion for fellow Bloodline member, Solo Sikoa. Enter: Randy Orton, who made his way to the ring and halted said celebration, making his intentions of coming after Reigns and his championship at Royal Rumble crystal clear.

Of course, gunning for "The Tribal Chief" has its complications and Orton was prepared for that, putting forth his willingness to go through anyone in The Bloodline to get to the champ. Tonight, that means Jimmy Uso, in the "SmackDown" main event. But Reigns was not ready to just hand out the title opportunity to Orton, who Reigns said has done nothing to deserve as much.

Orton was complimentary of Reigns and his more than 1,000-day championship run, citing his impressive evolution and dubbing him a legend. But just as quickly, Orton reminded Reigns that he will always be a "Legend Killer," before launching into an RKO attempt that Reigns just barely avoided. Shaking off the miss, Orton didn't miss a step, continuing with his promo smoothly enough to note that Reigns should keep him top of mind and that the voices in his head tell him that he's scared.

Despite the challenge, a match between the two, at Royal Rumble or otherwise, was not immediately made official.