Randy Orton will make his return to WWE RAW tonight.
WWE and Orton just announced that the veteran Superstar will make his return tonight. He has been away from RAW since late June.
Orton tweeted and revealed that he will be opening the show.
“Been away for a bit, but tonight, I’m back on #WWERaw … and I won’t keep you waiting, I’m kicking off the show. #ViperIsBack,” he wrote.
WWE added in their official RAW preview, “The Viper is back! Randy Orton will make his highly anticipated return to Raw tonight. There will no one happier to see Orton than his recent RK-Bro running mate, Riddle. The Original Bro has dedicated his performances to his ‘best friend Randy’ but suffered a setback at the hands of the colossal Omos last week. What will Orton have in store for his return? Don’t miss The Viper tonight on Raw at 8/7 C on USA Network!”
Orton has not appeared on RAW since the June 21 show, when he lost a singles match to John Morrison. It was announced the following week, by Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville, that Orton was unable to compete in the Second Chance Money In the Bank Qualifier due to “circumstances out of their control,” but no reason was given. It was then reported in late July that Orton had been on WWE’s disabled/inactive list while away from TV, but there’s no word on why.
Orton has been advertised for recent WWE TV tapings and live events, but has not appeared. The recent report on his status noted that WWE officials hoped he would be back in time for the Chicago RAW, which was last week.
Orton and Riddle vs. RAW Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Omos has been rumored for WWE SummerSlam, and could be confirmed during tonight’s RAW. WWE reportedly has had creative plans in place for Orton and Riddle through SummerSlam, but there’s no word on how his hiatus may have impacted those plans.
Stay tuned for more on tonight’s RAW and be sure to join us for live coverage at 8pm ET. Below is Orton’s full tweet:
Been away for a bit, but tonight, I’m back on #WWERaw … and I won’t keep you waiting, I’m kicking off the show. #ViperIsBack https://t.co/doKobmWF4F
— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) August 9, 2021
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