Randy Orton and Kevin Owens could be returning to WWE soon.
Both Orton and Owens have been away from WWE programming for quite some time. Orton last appeared at WrestleMania 42 (Night 1), where he faced Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship. Fans expected Orton to win this bout, but he lost and then also turned on Pat McAfee.
People expected WWE to continue with this storyline since the WrestleMania match ending left a lot of fans confused. But as it turned out, Randy Orton was reportedly injured and had to take time off. Although he had said that he’s just enjoying his vacation, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports otherwise.
Update On Randy Orton And Kevin Owens’ Return
In the recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer said both of these wrestlers are expected to return to WWE soon. The Viper could return as soon as next week.
“Orton and Owens are both expected to be returning very soon, Orton perhaps in the next week. Owens has dropped weight after a lengthy and frustratingly long recovery from neck surgery. Orton was one of those guys who claimed he wasn’t injured and just taking the summer off, but in fact he was injured.”
Meltzer also says that Randy Orton was actually going to win the WWE Title at WrestleMania but due to his back issues, the company made the decision for Rhodes to retain instead. Meltzer also speculated that Orton could interfere in the WWE Championship match between Cody Rhodes and CM Punk at SummerSlam.
“He was actually scheduled to beat Rhodes at Mania unless they felt his back was going to not allow it. When they realized that was the case, all kinds of plans were changed. The door was clearly left open to Rhodes vs. Orton at Mania, so I could see Orton screwing Rhodes or Punk to keep the other out of the WWE title picture because there is no reason for him to return now unless it’s to work with one of those two, and Rhodes being the more likely one would think.”
On the other hand, Kevin Owens last wrestled a WWE match back in March 2025 when he defeated Sami Zayn at Elimination Chamber in an Unsanctioned match. While he’s made a few appearances on WWE programming, he hasn’t done anything physical in the ring. Owens has been out due to a neck injury.
What are your thoughts on Orton and Owens potentially making their returns to WWE soon?
For more on Randy Orton, Kevin Owens and pro wrestling (WWE, AEW, etc.), you can check out this page. If you’re new to watching wrestling, check out our WWE streaming guide, which is updated for 2026.
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