Randy Orton hasn’t appeared on WWE television since May and it seems he won’t be back anytime soon. After undergoing surgery on a long standing back issue, there is no timetable for his return.
The Viper’s most recent match came on the May 20th edition of Friday Night SmackDown where he and Matt Riddle attempted to unify their Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Titles. However, the duo lost out to The Usos, earning a beatdown from The Bloodline after the match for their trouble.
Randy Orton Has Undergone Spinal Fusion Surgery
It quickly came to light that the beatdown was so that Orton could be written off television to deal with a back injury that had been getting progressively worse. At the time it was hoped that the star wouldn’t require surgery, but it appears that this scenario was unavoidable.
Back in September it was reported that there was growing concern within WWE over the situation, and that concern was well founded.
A new report from Fightful Select has noted that Randy Orton underwent fusion surgery on his lower back, which would keep him out for an “extended period.” The surgery has already been completed, but it is unclear exactly when. Although his wife recently shared a photo of him in hospital.
There were some within WWE that said they would be “fortunate to have him back,” after such a long career, and the severity of the injury. Fightful have also heard that when initially suffered the injury insisted he would return.
At time of writing there are no creative plans in place for the star, and no timetable for a potential return.
Randy Orton is contracted to WWE through 2024, although it’s unclear whether his deal could be frozen or have time added due to his lengthy injury-enforced absence.