WWE: Bad News Regarding Randy Orton's Possible Return From Injury

Randy Orton still hasn't been cleared to return to WWE.

By Connor Casey

Randy Orton has not competed inside of a WWE ring since May 2022 due to a serious back injury. "The Viper" has kept mostly quiet on social media during his hiatus, though it was confirmed late last year that he had to undergo spinal fusion on his lower back. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select finally had an update on Orton's return to wrestling on Tuesday, noting that he has "not been factored into WWE creative plans whatsoever" and that he still hasn't been cleared to return to in-ring action. 

Sapp noted that Orton still intends to return to the ring despite doctors advising against it, and that while he hasn't been able to rack up any in-ring time he has gotten back in the gym to start weightlifting again. One source described him as "huge" as a result.

Could Randy Orton Pop Up at SummerSlam 2023?

There's been a fan theory that Orton could return at SummerSlam this Saturday in Detroit in order to confront Cody Rhodes after "The American Nightmare" (presumably) ends his rivalry with Brock Lesnar. The end of Sapp's report indicates that's unlikely. 

"When we asked a WWE source if Orton would be returning at WWE Summerslam, they said to not count on it, and that he'd not been factored into any creative that they'd heard of. If Orton is planning an imminent return, it's being kept quiet," Sapp wrote.

Randy Orton's Thoughts on Retirement

The 14-time world champion gave his thoughts on retirement in an interview with Cheap Heat back in January 2022, saying he wants to wrestle until he's 50. He's now 43 and it's unclear if this recent injury & surgery have made him change his tune on that idea.

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"I'm 41. By the time I'm 50, I think I'm done," Orton said at the time. "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.

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