WWE Confirm Major Star Not Returning To Action At WrestleMania
With WrestleMania now imminent, the rumour mill is in overdrive after big surprises were promised for the show but a new report warns caution when it comes to expectations for Randy Orton.
Over the course of his two decades years on the WWE main roster, Randy Orton has made quite a name for himself in the company as a 14-time WWE World Champion that has been a main event level performer for nearly 20 years.
The last time Orton was on television was on the May 20th, 2022 edition of Smackdown when Orton & Matt Riddle lost the Raw Tag Team Titles to The Usos in a match where both sets of WWE Tag Team Titles were on the line.
Randy Orton has been out of action since May 2022 due to major back surgery. He has apparently done well in terms of getting back to health. In February, a wrestling gear maker noted that Orton had ordered some new wrestling boots from him, so that was also another indicator that “The Viper” was set to return.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that WWE has confirmed that Randy Orton is in town for WrestleMania but it was made clear that the company doesn’t want fans thinking he’s ready to return to action as he isn’t:
“This is what I was told. Randy Orton is in town. I was told by WWE that they said it was kinda like, ‘you can put it out,’ it’s not gossip. It was directly told to me that he is not ready to return. They basically said they don’t want people to think that he’s ready to return.
“So if for some reason that turns out to not be true, I mean, I was told from the very top there that and to put it out. They never lied to me about something this directed, so I presume that’s the case.”
Randy Orton’s in-ring status might still be up in the air but Bobby Lashley has issued a challenge for WrestleMania after picking up a huge win in the Andre The Giant Battle Royal on SmackDown.