It’s not always simple to tell which WWE injuries are legitimately bad (except for Cody Rhodes‘ torn pec, which was pretty obvious) and which are being played up for the sake of storylines. But when Riddle has been mentioning how bad Randy Orton‘s back has been bothering him, he hasn’t been exaggerating.
Fightful Select reported today that Orton’s back issues “have gotten progressively worse,” which may mean surgery that puts him on the shelf for the remainder of 2022. That’s a potentially big problem because as the article also notes, “Orton had been pitched and heavily figured in to SummerSlam plans, which are now in question.”
For all the flak WWE receives when its narratives are illogical or appear hastily thrown together, it doesn’t get enough credit when the opposite is true. According to several top wrestling news outlets, the tentative plan for Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns this summer was to face Riddle, then Orton at SummerSlam, and finally Drew McIntyre at Clash in the Castle.
If Orton is a no go for SummerSlam, that leaves a big hole in the middle of this otherwise nicely conceived roadmap. It’s one that needs to be filled, too; Reigns is pretty much mandatory for the show, party because he won’t be at Hell in a Cell, and also because it’s the second-biggest event on WWE’s calendar. Leaving both of the company’s primary men’s titles off SummerSlam would be unthinkable.
Working off the assumption that Reigns has to face someone on July 30 in Nashville, and Fightful Select noting that WWE has “already put alternative creative plans in place,” let’s take a look at some ideas on who could step in for Orton, along with some pros and cons for each option.