Randy Orton's WWE Return Announced for Survivor Series

The one and only Randy Orton is finally making his way back to WWE. The former WWE Champion has been sidelined since last year with a back injury, and fans have been wondering if/when they'd see him back in the ring. Now, after the latest episode of Monday Night RAW, we know the answer. Orton will be returning to WWE TV this Saturday for Survivor Series: WarGames.

Saturday's Survivor Series: WarGames event will see the Judgement Day and Drew McIntyre take on a group of popular RAW Superstars inside a double steel cage. With McIntyre joining Judgement Day's team, the group of Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, and Sami Zayn suddenly found themselves needing a fifth teammate. 

A segment during RAW saw the group of men deliberating who should join them at WarGames. Zayn referenced that their fifth could come from either RAW or SmackDown, obviously alluding to his best friend and longtime tag team partner Kevin Owens. That caused Seth to chime in and say he had allies as well. Finally, Rhodes put the conversation to an end by saying he was going to call "an old friend," leading many to fans to believe that Orton was on his way back. 

At the end of the episode, after McIntyre beat Uso to give the Judgement Day the WarGames advantage, Rhodes announced that Randy Orton was officially joining the team as its fifth member.

Orton has been sidelined since May 2022, when he competed in a tag team match with former WWE Superstar Matt Riddle. The Apex Predator had needed back surgery and finally stepped away from the ring to get it taken care of. Back in September, Orton was seen at the WWE Performance Center, causing rumors of a potential return.

Seth Rollins Injury Won't Affect Current Run

At Survivor Series, Orton will be working alongside World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, who has been on a phenomenal run since winning the title. 

Earlier this year, Rollins revealed that he's been dealing with a back injury for a few years now, one that will eventually require surgery. However, Rollins hasn't been worried about that injury changing anything for his current run in WWE. It's been a big part of the story as of late, but he is still promising to be a fighting champion.

"It is what it is. All of us have something," Rollins said on The Bump. "We've all got some sort of nagging injury, we've all got something that's pulling at us, telling us we need to slow down. That's just part of the game. I know that. Everybody knows that. Now, my injury might be a little more serious than some people. But I know how to manage it. I told Shinsuke, I told the world. I won the World Heavyweight Championship with a broken back. I've been defending the World Heavyweight Championship with a broken back. 

"So even though Shinsuke's the first guy to really target that injury, I feel like I know what it takes to manage it. I'll be just fine, I promise you. I promise everybody out there who's concerned. I'm gonna be fine. I promise you guys, I will be fine. The championship is in good hands," he continued.