Randy Orton has not competed since May 2022. After losing against The Usos in a 'winner takes all' match for the RAW and SmackDown Tag Team titles.
Follow Us
Randy Orton’s WWE status has been updated for the first time in months, following the former WWE Champion’s absence from the business for over a year. Orton last worked a bout in May 2022, when he and Matt Riddle lost the Raw Tag Team Championships to The Usos in a Winner Take All match on SmackDown. The initial assumption was that Orton would take a break due to a back injury before returning to turn on Riddle, sparking a feud between them.
Clearly, it didn’t happen since Orton’s injury was worse than feared, and he underwent lower back fusion surgery last November. Some in the WWE have expressed a great deal of anxiety for his WWE career. A recent photo of Orton appearing jacked has circulated online. Several admirers speculated at the time that he was on the verge of returning.
“There’s been some rumblings about Randy Orton internally within the last week or so, where there hadn’t been any discussion about him internally in some time,” Mike Johnson of PWinsider Elite said. It was also mentioned that nothing new was revealed about Riddle’s WWE situation after he was suspended for the second time in 2022 due to a failed drug test and sent to rehab in December.
READ MORE: Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes are not advertised for a major upcoming WWE event
The Wrestling Observer reports that individuals within WWE are very concerned about the seriousness of Randy’s injuries, which indicates that Orton is the subject of much worry at the moment. Despite this, some fresh details regarding what WWE could have in store for Randy when he eventually returns to television have surfaced.
There is currently no information available on when WWE fans may anticipate seeing Orton back on television, although it is widely accepted that any return will almost certainly take place in 2023 rather than this year. Speaking exclusively to GiveMeSport about how WWE may bring him back, WrestleVotes said that the initial plans were designed with Randy turning on Matt Riddle right away.
“When Randy Orton went down, the plan was for him to come back and immediately turn on Matt Riddle.”
It’s important to note that these plans were created around the time of Randy’s injury, which occurred not only in May but also when Vince McMahon was still in charge of WWE.
However, now that he has stepped down from his roles as CEO and Chairman of WWE, Triple H could wish to go in a different route.
It’s noteworthy to note that WWE intended for Randy to flip on Riddle as soon as he returned, rather than delaying the turn until RK-Bro had recovered, as it did throughout the first few months of 2022.
Get the latest from Sportslumo.com by following us on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
