WWE officials are reportedly concerned about the future of veteran Superstar Randy Orton.
Orton has not appeared on WWE TV since he and Riddle lost the Title Unification match to Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos on the May 20 SmackDown. There was a post-match angle that saw The Bloodline beat down RK-Bro at ringside. Riddle mentioned during the May 23 RAW that Orton had been “having a really hard time with his back lately,” adding that he “could barely walk” before their loss to The Usos.
WWE later noted during the May 27 SmackDown that Orton was “currently undergoing consultations with neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons to determine the extent of his injury and to recommend course of treatment.”
In an update, a new report from Fightful Select notes that Orton has been dealing with a back injury for quite a while now, to the point he actually had work done to improve his condition before the match to unify the tag team titles on. There’s no word on the extent of the work that was done.
Despite Orton having some work done, things have gotten progressively worse, and WWE officials now fear that Orton will be forced to undergo surgery. Word from within WWE is that if surgery is needed, Orton would likely be out of action for the rest of ths year. It was also noted that the exact injury is unknown.
While Riddle is continuing his feud with The Bloodline, and will challenge Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns on this week’s SmackDown, Orton is not factored into any creative plans at the moment. As we’ve noted, he was originally planned for a big role this summer, and was at one point set to challenge Reigns at SummerSlam on July 31 in Nashville. Orton was reportedly planned for some of the current creative that Riddle is doing with The Bloodline.
Orton’s name was on a recent internal injury report, and as of now everything is up in the air when it comes to his immediate future with the company.
Orton has not publicly commented on social media since the night before the loss to The Usos.
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for the latest on Orton.
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