The WWE roster is constantly changing and a number of top stars have been sidelined throughout 2026. Randy Orton made his big return to WWE programming at SummerSlam, and he’s been involved in a heated feud with Cody Rhodes since then.
Cody and Randy faced off in a Last Man Standing match at Crown Jewel over the weekend, and The American Nightmare picked up the victory after he hit The Viper with the punt to keep him down for the ten count.
Following the show Randy Orton hinted that he could be taking time off when he responded to a fan’s tweet with a tweet of his own which said, “Whether it’s sooner, or later, I’ll be back. Guaranteed. WWE is my home away from home. I still have more to do, and until I am unable, I will continue to keep doing it.”
In a recent WrestleVotes Q&A on Fightful Select it was indicated that Randy Orton won’t be returning until after the holidays when it was stated, “Randy will be back after the holidays. He will miss Survivor Series and WrestlePalooza.”
Randy Orton has been one of the most consistently featured WWE stars over the last few decades. However, The Viper unfortunately had to take an 18 month hiatus from WWE which started in May of 2022 and lasted through November of 2023.
During that time away Orton underwent successful lower lumbar spinal fusion surgery. In the months that followed there was a lot of speculation regarding Randy Orton’s future, but luckily he was able to return.
There’s been no word on whether or not Orton is currently injured, so it’s possible that he is simply stepping away from the ring for now to preserve his body. Orton has stated in the past that he would like to wrestle into his 50s. With that in mind it would make sense for him to take more time off at this stage of his career.
Stay tuned for more updates on Randy Orton’s return as they become available.