Randy Orton Reportedly To Take Time Away From WWE
After being absent from the latest episode of WWE Raw, a new report has claimed that Randy Orton is taking a break from the ring.
On the January 31st episode of Monday Night Raw, Randy Orton was notable for his absence. Meanwhile, his RK-Bro teammate, Riddle, was featured throughout the show, first taking on Chad Gable in a scooter race in order to try and earn a shot at the Raw Tag Team Titles.
As the race neared its end, ‘The Orginal Bro’ was attacked by Otis setting up a match between the pair which Riddle won. In doing so, he earned himself a spot in the upcoming Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship.
Speaking on a the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez noted that ‘The Viper’ will be absent for a “little while.” At time of writing, there are no details on why Orton won’t be appearing.
The news comes after it was reported that the partnership between Orton and Riddle may soon come to an end.
The rumours of the on-screen demise of RK-Bro have circulated since the summer of 2021, while a new report has claimed that the pair could be heading for a clash at WrestleMania 38. Not only that, the match could involve the WWE Championship.
The report from Wrestle Votes noted that the match was first planned for SummerSlam but pushed back to WrestleMania. Although now only “a handful” of creative team members want the team to split.
WWE had plans since the pairing began last spring for Riddle vs Randy Orton @ SummerSlam, which didn’t happen. Plan was to hold off til Mania. I’m told now only a handful of creative members want to spilt them, w/ the idea that if the match happens, it should be for the WWE title
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) January 31, 2022
It was in April 2021 on Raw that Riddle and Randy Orton became the most unlikely of unlikely tag teams. The pair joined forces after much lobbying by Riddle, while Orton begrudgingly went along with the plan, he often looked unwilling as the pair went to the ring.
Despite the rocky start, once the bell rang the two stars kept winning and rising up the tag team ranks. This eventually saw RK-Bro crowned Raw Tag Team Champions at SummerSlam.
Although the pair lost the titles to Alpha Academy on January 10th, they have remained together and are still trying to recapture the gold.
H/T to Ringside News for the above transcription.