Where Is Randy Orton?

WWE is being led by a group of men all in their 40s. For the time being, the likes of Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins are at the top of the booking mountain, with a new era led by Oba Femi and Trick Williams waiting in the wings. All four of those veteran examples have held world championship gold recently. Then there’s Randy Orton. He’s just as popular as them, and at the age of 46, still has the stunning physique of a wrestling god. It’s been years though since RKO has been a world champion. It almost happened at WrestleMania 42. Instead, Orton lost to Rhodes and disappeared. He hasn’t been seen in WWE since.

WWE Considered Having Randy Orton Beat Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42

• A back injury ended Randy Orton’s fun tag team with Matt Riddle.
• Fans refused to boo Orton after he turned heel on Cody Rhodes.
• He punted the American Nightmare in the head after losing at WrestleMania.

As a 14-time world champion, Randy Orton is one of the best to ever lace up a pair of wrestling boots. He’s a natural as both an energetic babyface and an evil heel. It’s been a rough decade for Orton though. He had a fun tag team with Matt Riddle. Then came a back injury which kept him away for so long and nearly ended his career.

When Orton returned, his ovations were louder than ever. It wasn’t a response based on nostalgia either. RKO still had it and the audience wanted more of him. WWE listened by putting him in the main event of WrestleMania 42 against his real life close friend, WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The storyline wrote itself. We know what happened next. After a heel turn where fans refused to boo Orton, TKO got involved and put him alongside Pat McAfee. The internet blew up with hate for the twist, and at WrestleMania, Orton kicked McAfee to the curb.

In the end, Rhodes won and stayed a babyface, disappointing many. (They weren’t as disappointed when Orton punted the American Nightmare in the head afterward.) That almost didn’t happen though. According to both Wrestling Observer Radio and Bodyslam, Orton was originally booked to win his 15th title. Dave Meltzer said:

“Randy was supposed to win. I know that the finish to Cody winning….you know, there’s a lot of chaos the morning of the show. I asked did that finish change the morning of the show and there was people who said yes. But someone who I would trust more than anyone and would know said no, it was decided before yesterday morning. On Friday night in San Jose, yeah, Randy was winning at that point.” (h/t Cultaholic)

Randy Orton Wasn’t Part of WWE’s SummerSlam Plans

• Reports say that Orton has been out of action with another back injury.
• He was pulled from WWE’s European tour and Fanatics Fest.
• Orton hasn’t been in any storylines for one of WWE’s biggest PLEs of the year.

Randy Orton hasn’t appeared on WWE TV since then, almost four months ago. So why did he disappear? It couldn’t have been a scheduled hiatus if he was originally booked to win the WWE Championship. That would have kept him around for however long he held the gold. Even though he lost, he could have stayed as scheduled. His hiatus is as mysterious as CM Punk going away after WrestleMania as well, even after he told everyone in a Raw after WrestleMania promo that he wasn’t going anywhere.

There have been no big reveals about where Randy Orton is. At this point, it’s a guessing game. According to Dave Meltzer, Orton hurt his back and that could be why the end of his match with Rhodes at WrestleMania was changed. There were also reports that Orton was advertised for WWE’s European tour and Fanatics Fest, before being pulled from both.

There was talk that both Orton and Drew McIntyre were in WWE’s plans for SummerSlam. This has turned out not to be the case. For McIntyre, the reasoning is out there. He’s currently filming a movie, with an acting career that could end his WWE days sooner rather than later. For Orton, there is no reason given for why he doesn’t have a match at one of WWE’s biggest shows of the year.

WWE Needs Randy Orton Back on SmackDown or Raw

• Orton deserves a break away from the wrestling ring.
• He told fans on Twitter that he was enjoying his vacation before coming back to win his 15th world title.
• Could Orton have a stare-down with whoever wins the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam?

Obviously, what matters most is Randy Orton’s health. He’s given so much to us for over two decades. If he is hurting, the man deserves all the time in the world to heal. Orton also deserves a break just because. At the age of 46, he shouldn’t have to carry WWE on his massive shoulders every week. Back in May, Orton addressed the rumors over his absence on Twitter, writing:

Lmao just milking it guys, leave me alone I’m trying to enjoy my summer before I come back and take that #15

That was two and a half months ago. If Orton is returning to WWE, it has to be getting very close, perhaps as soon as SummerSlam, with a shocking stare-down with whoever comes out victorious in the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship matches. Whenever RKO does make his comeback, whether it be on SmackDown or Raw, it won’t be soon enough. WWE is sputtering creatively. They badly the energy he’ll bring as fans cheer him on for destroying everyone in his way of championship reign number 15.