Randy Orton’s first WWE match of 2025 has been confirmed.
The Viper made his return to the company at the Elimination Chamber attacking Kevin Owens after his Unsanctioned Match against Sami Zayn. Owens had already defeated Zayn but continued to put a hurting on his opponent and removed the protective ringside mat seemingly to plant Zayn on the concrete. Luckily this was halted when Orton’s music played and he entered the arena to a massive ovation.
Orton had not been seen since Owens hit him with a brutal Package Piledriver on the November 8th episode of Friday Night SmackDown, so revenge was firmly on his mind at the PLE. After making his surprise return he got a modicum of retribution on Owens when he hit him with an RKO and then went to deliver a devastating Punt Kick but was stopped by security and backstage.
In his first appearance since Elimination Chamber on the March 7th episode of SmackDown, Orton opened the show to address the crowd. After speaking about John Cena‘s shocking heel turn and betrayal of WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, he turned his attention to Kevin Owens stating that their rivalry is far from over.
Later on in the show, during a segment with The Miz and Nick Aldis, Orton had an altercation with Carmelo Hayes, which led to the SmackDown General Manager setting up a match between the two for the March 14th edition of SmackDown in Barcelona, Spain. This will be Orton’s first match since returning to the company.
When Was Randy Orton’s Last Match In WWE?
Randy Orton’s last match in WWE took place on the October, 25th, 2024 episode of SmackDown when he teamed with Cody Rhodes to defeat Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser in a tag team match.