WWE Superstar Randy Orton has been one of the foremost stars of the company. The Viper was instrumental in propelling the company during the Ruthless Aggression Era alongside the likes of John Cena and Dave Bautista. He received massive popularity during the Legend Killer gimmick and was considered by fans and critics alike to be one of the best heels in the history of the company.
Having accomplished 14 world title reigns with the promotion, The Viper is still on course to match John Cena and Ric Flair’s 16 world title reigns. He also recently celebrated 20 years in WWE, and fans would hope that the run will only go on for a few more years. At 43, Orton may not have much left in the tank, and it seems that his future in the ring could be in jeopardy.
During a recent interview with Sportskeeda’s Bill Apter (via WrestlingNews.co), The Viper’s father and Hall of Famer, Bob Orton, gave an update on the star. He stated that Randy has been training well and has been taken care of pretty well. However, he added that the doctors have asked him not to go back to being an active wrestler.
“He’s training so we’ll see what happens,” Orton said. “I don’t know if he feels like going back. If he feels like going back or if he feels like he’s ready to go back, I think he might,” Orton said. “Then again, he’s pretty well taken care of. I don’t think he needs to. I think the doctors have told him not to.”
thank you randy orton for everything. if we never get to see you wrestle again. it’s been such a memorable 21 years. i hope this isn’t it 🥺🤍 pic.twitter.com/5BQ0CrHBKa
— sam ✿ (@wildflowersamm) May 14, 2023
Bob Orton concluded by saying that Randy will do what he wants to do. For those unaware, Orton has been sidelined with a back injury for a year now. While many predicted that he would return to the ring soon, that has not happened yet.
When was Randy Orton’s last match in WWE?
As mentioned above, Randy Orton was last seen in the WWE in May 2022. At the time, he was in a tag team with Matt Riddle and was known as the RK-Bro. The two forged a commendable partnership and were also sitting at the top of the tag team division on Raw.
However, their glorious run came to an end when they lost the tag team title to The Usos. This match which took place on the May 20, 2022, episode of SmackDown, also happens to be the last time The Viper was seen in the ring.
Winners Take All this Friday on #SmackDown! @SuperKingofBros @RandyOrton @WWEUsos @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/xeEO5UfBem
— WWE (@WWE) May 18, 2022
It was then reported that Randy Orton has undergone back fusion surgery and would be out of action for a while. The Viper was then widely touted to be back in the ring soon after WrestleMania 39. However, that wasn’t the case. In a recent update, Dave Meltzer also squashed all rumors of The Viper returning and stated that he was “nowhere close” to being fully fit. It remains to be seen if Orton will ever return to WWE.
