4 Clear signs that 45-year-old WWE legend is Jacob Fatu’s mystery attacker

The jury is still out as to which WWE star is behind the attack on Jacob Fatu. A good portion of people, including Michael Cole, think it was Drew McIntyre. McIntyre is a heel and has been talking a lot, so he's an easy target.

The interesting fact, however, is that The Scottish Warrior would have gladly taken credit for knocking off such a threat as The Samoan Werewolf. He said he didn't do it, opening up the door for some other options.

When it's finally revealed, it could shock everyone. The next four signs point to Randy Orton being Jacob Fatu's attacker.

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#4. He opposed Fatu when he joined Solo Sikoa

Jacob Fatu initially debuted as a blindly loyal follower of Solo Sikoa. He did Sikoa's bidding and ran through everyone in his path. That included Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes for the early stages of Fatu's WWE career.

One thing writers often do is revisit angles with the dynamics shifted. When a star becomes a face, their past comes back to haunt them. That's why Kevin Owens had a hard time with Jey Uso and Roman Reigns being accepted as good guys.

The Viper needs a big change, so attacking people in the dark would be a return to his best character. Fatu is a huge face at the moment, so playing off that history could help explain the attack.

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#3. To protect Cody Rhodes from the threat of Jacob Fatu

WWE tries to remind everyone of Randy Orton's relationship with Cody Rhodes. They're friends and have a student/teacher dynamic since Rhodes joined The VIper in Legacy.

They've battled on the same side ever since The American Nightmare came back to WWE. Drew McIntyre was feuding with Orton before his latest hiatus, but pivoted to facing off with Fatu.

Orton could have seen Fatu as a bigger threat than McIntyre to Cody's reign, so he took out a monster for his friend. That would certainly test a friendship that WWE loves to bring up on SmackDown.

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#2. Jacob Fatu jumped the line for a title shot

Fatu and McIntyre were supposed to face off for the right to challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Due to how officials determined things, The Scottish Warrior should have been named as the #1 Contender after the attack.

Without any proof, they can't simply assume it was McIntyre who attacked The Samoan Werewolf. Fatu hasn't challenged for the title, and some may feel like he jumped the line.

Randy Orton may have snapped since he has been staring at Cody Rhodes’ title every time they share the ring. The Viper may have taken out a potential obstacle in his way.

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#1. Sudden absence from WWE television

While McIntyre seems like the obvious attacker to many people, it's a misdirect to protect the actual attacker. Everyone assumed Liv Morgan attacked Jade Cargill last year because she was a heel.

However, it was too obvious for that to be the case. The same goes for McIntyre being the WWE star who attacked Jacob Fatu.

Randy Orton comes and goes from programming a lot. He hasn't been around for a few weeks now, and was feuding with McIntyre over the summer.

Attacking Fatu could be his way to get revenge on The Scottish Warrior. Keeping a star off TV makes some fans forget about a particular performer. That is currently the case with The Legend Killer.