Heading into WrestleMania 39, there were reports that Randy Orton is fit and will return to the WWE ring soon. “The Legend Killer” was rumored to make his comeback at The Grandest Stage of Them All this year. However, all hopes were crushed when he did not show up at the mega event. As a matter of fact, the 14-time world champion wasn’t seen even on the following Monday Night RAW episode.
Be it attendance, revenue, or the quality of matches, WrestleMania 39 was a huge success. The only thing that was missing from the mega event was some surprise returns. Other than Shane McMahon and Pat McAfee, WWE had booked no big returns for the 2-day spectacle.
This has made WWE fans wonder why Randy Orton didn’t return despite all the reports and rumors. Dave Meltzer, in his recent report, has shed light on the reason why.
Randy Orton was “nowhere close” to making his WWE return at WrestleMania 39
The recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter saw Dave Meltzer discussing why Randy Orton didn’t make his WWE return at WrestleMania 39. It was noted that the 14-time world champion is still in his recovery stage.
As to why didn’t he return, Meltzer stated:
“[Randy] Orton’s back injury was nowhere close to allowing him to return to in-ring action.”
According to the report, it seems Randy Orton is too far to return to the WWE ring as of now. Although Meltzer didn’t predict any date or month for The Viper’s return, the common assumption is it could take up to one more year.
The Legend Killer has been absent from the squared circle since May of last year
Randy Orton, alongside his tag team partner Matt Riddle, was one of the best things going on WWE TV before he had to take a time off. The Viper has been out of action since losing his RAW tag team title against The Usos in May last year.
Back then, earlier reports suggested Orton had a minor back issue and will be back soon. As a matter of fact, there were plans for him to face Roman Reigns at the 2022 SummerSlam.
Unfortunately, the injury was worse than expected, which led to him having fusion back surgery late last year. Randy Orton has been in rehab ever since, and it’s unclear when he will return to the WWE ring.
Nevertheless, for any wrestler, being fit should be a bigger priority than being in the ring. It’s good to see the 14-time champion is not rushing things and taking time to recover properly. Though WWE fans will hope that Randy Orton recovers soon and makes an epic comeback.
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