Randy Orton has been out of action with a back injury since late May and updates on the former WWE Champion’s return have been scarce. PWInsider reported this week that Orton was spotted in Birmingham, Alabama, where WWE often sends its wrestlers to undergo surgery or rehabilitate an injury. Orton’s wife, Kim, posted a photo celebrating their anniversary that saw Orton in a hospital, though it’s unclear how recent that photo was.
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With Orton out of action, his tag partner Matt Riddle has been carrying the torch for him on Monday Night Raw by utilizing a good chunk of his moveset, including the RKO. The pair won the Raw Tag Team Championships twice as RK-Bro, but came up short against the Usos in a championship unification match back in May. The Usos have since set the record for the longest tag team championship reign in WWE history.
When Will Randy Orton Retire From WWE?
Orton discussed his retirement plans back in January while on The Ringer Wrestling Show, saying he intends to retire by the time he’s 50 — “I’m 41. By the time I’m 50, I think I’m done. But I’m not like, I’ll do auditions every once in a while, but I almost only do them because my wife says ‘oh do them, because what if you don’t? Then you’ll wonder what if you did.’ So I do auditions here and there, crossing my fingers that I don’t get a callback because I love what I do. I don’t want to stop. I don’t want to have to stop, because of my body.
“So I’ve taken it upon myself to make sure I’m doing everything I can on the daily that physically I’m able to continue. But if it was up to me, and I knew physically it wouldn’t be a problem, I’d say I’d wrestle until I’m 50 years old. And I would go out and have that last match when I’m 50 and be able to say I did it on my own terms. That’s 9 years from now. But I don’t see an end to my career any time soon. I’d like to continue to go,” he added (h/t Wrestling Inc.).
