The fans have been disappearing Randy Orton since a time ago. The Viper has not appeared in WWE since May 2022, after a beating from The Bloodline on Friday Night SmackDown. Those who don’t keep up with the news and rumors online may not know the reason for Orton’s prolonged absence. RKBro were the Raw Tag Team Champions last year, which they won on one episode of Raw. He and Riddle then feuded with The Usos, which ended with RKBro losing their titles and then being badly beaten after the match. Orton hasn’t been seen in WWE since then, and fans are looking forward to his return.
The Usos defeated RKBro to unify the tag team titles
At WrestleMania 38, Roman Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar to unify the WWE and Universal Championship. On the following SmackDown, Reigns asked The Usos to search for RKBro’s Raw Tag Team titles and bring them to The Bloodline. On Raw, Jimmy and Jey Uso challenged Orton and Riddle, and they accepted. Their match to unify the tag titles was booked for WrestleMania Backlash. But some time later, WWE changed the matchup and turned it into a six-man tag team match between The Bloodline and RKBro and Drew McIntyre.
This happened because, during a contract signing segment for their match, The Usos and RKBro got into a brawl and Reigns interfered to turn the tide in Usos’ favor. He even tore up the contract and stuffed it into Riddle’s mouth. Then McIntyre made the entrance of him to even the odds on taking out The Bloodline. At the pay-per-view, The Bloodline won the match after Reigns pinned Riddle. After WrestleMania Backlash, RKBro appeared on SmackDown and challenged The Usos for their belts. WWE booked their match for the next SmackDown. Most fans knew that The Usos were going to unify the tag team titles, and WWE even messed up the results on their WWE UK Facebook page. The Usos won the match after receiving help from Roman Reigns.
Randy Orton was injured during the match with The Usos
Following their victory, The Usos and Reigns began beating both Riddle and Orton. Jey and Jimmy also superkicked Randy, and Reigns closed the guillotine on both RKBro members. WWE later provided kayfabe updates on the health of both wrestlers and said they were under medical evaluation. There were rumors that both Riddle and Orton would face The Tribal Chief at Money in the Bank and SummerSlam respectively. But the matches did not take place, despite Reigns being announced for Money in the Bank, where Riddle participated in the ladder match for the briefcase.
Orton was injured during the RKBro match against The Usos, so WWE was also forced to modify their SummerSlam plans. They expected him to return sooner, but it turned out that his back was in worse shape than thought. Dave Meltzer said there was “concern about Orton’s back injury and the severity of it.” In November, he underwent lower back fusion surgery and there were also questions about his future as a fighter. Recently, however, Meltzer said that Orton will return to WWE programming soon. “Everything indicates that he is back, which is also good news because at the end of last year there were definitely people who were worried about him.” (h/t Sportskeeda)
Randy Orton could return to WWE soon
There is also a report that Orton could make his surprising return at WrestleMania 39. There is no word on what he will do at the Shows of Shows, but he could start a new storyline or just take part in a backstage segment. If Orton hadn’t been injured last year, WWE wouldn’t have unified the tag team titles. Meltzer said that the only reason Triple H made this call was because Orton would be out due to his injury. Back injuries are no joke, and this one “almost ended” Orton’s career.
Some time ago, Orton also contacted Jose G. Sanz for a pair of wrestling boots. José has also worked with wrestlers like Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes. WrestleMania is a few days away, and many fans are hoping to see Orton at the premium live or Raw event after WrestleMania. He was previously expected to return during the Royal Rumble event.