Randy Orton hasn’t been since in WWE in almost a full year. His last match was on the May 20, 2022 edition of SmackDown in which he and Riddle lost their RAW Tag Team Championships to the Usos in a title unification match.
The reason Orton has been absent since then is because he suffered a serious and legitimate back injury. That injury led to back fusion surgery and a months-long recovery process.
However, Orton is rumored to be trying to find a way back to WWE as soon as possible.
There have been slow and gradual hints that Orton is preparing for a return to the ring. According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Randy Orton is actively working on his return to the company.
“All the indications are that he’s on his way back, which is also good news because at the end of last year, there were definitely people worried about him.”
Randy Orton made order for new wrestling boots ahead of WWE return
According to previous reports, Orton approached a man named Jose G Sanz, who makes wrestling boots, and asked for new ones.
It is being reported that Orton’s mindset surrounding this return stems from what happened to him back in 2016. Orton was injured back then and thus was forced to miss WrestleMania 32.
Orton is allegedly trying his best to make any sort of appearance possible at WrestleMania, even if that means a quick cameo or a non-wrestling segment.
As of this writing, Randy Orton’s name has not been mentioned or added to any of the thirteen matches confirmed for WrestleMania 39.
However, it is entirely possible that, like with John Cena and the Rock at WrestleMania 32, Orton’s return could be kept secret until the last minute or announced on the eve of the show itself.
h/t WrestlingNews.co for the transcription