It’s been 10 months since Randy Orton has graced either Raw or SmackDown, but his absence from WWE TV could be coming to an end.
According to PW Insider Elite (subscription required, h/t Cageside Seats), WWE is bringing Orton to Los Angeles for WrestleMania 39 weekend. That doesn’t mean he’s coming back during the show — he might only be in town to sign autographs at the WrestleMania Superstore for all we know — but if he’s around, that’s a strong signal that he’s getting close to returning.
That in itself should come as a relief to Orton’s fans. His last WWE match came during the May 20, 2022 episode of SmackDown, when he and Matt Riddle lost a winner takes all match with The Usos for the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
But he took time off afterward to deal with back issues that were reportedly so severe that some worried they may be career-ending. If he’s going to be around in L.A., that’s obviously much less likely to be the case.
(Riddle has been out for a big chunk of time as well, but for … different reasons.)
And while WWE certainly could have the 14-time world champion make a surprise appearance during WrestleMania 39 itself, the much more intriguing possibility is Monday night, April 3. The Raw After WrestleMania not only sets the agenda for where WWE’s stories are going following its biggest show of the year, it also has a reputation for having one of the loudest, rowdiest crowds of any wrestling event.
There might not be a more ideal spot to have Orton make his way back onto WWE TV than right there at the Crypto.com Arena. We’ll be keeping an eye out for more signs that he might be returning to the fold next week, as well as looking for him in person on the ground at WrestleMania 39 and its associated events in L.A.