Backstage WWE News On Randy Orton's Injury

Randy Orton has been out of action since RKBro's match against The Usos on the May 20, 2022, edition of "WWE SmackDown," in a match that Unified RKBro's "Raw" Tag Team Championships and The Usos' "SmackDown" Tag Team Championship. The Usos walked away with the win and following the match, The Usos and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns attacked RKBro, with this being the last time Orton has been seen live to this day. Orton's last appearance came during John Cena's 20th anniversary with WWE on the June 27, 2022 episode of "WWE Raw," when he sent in a video congratulating Cena on 20 years within the organization. 

The reason behind Orton not being on TV is not story-driven, as he is dealing with a major back injury and a new report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter does not make an imminent return sound possible. Meltzer stated that there is much concern with those in WWE regarding Orton's back injury and its severity.

Orton's finishing maneuver, the RKO, requires Orton to jump into the air and grab his opponents by their neck and bring them down to the mat face first all while landing on his back to fully deliver the move. Orton has been using this move for almost his entire WWE career, as he, like Cena, recently celebrated his 20-year anniversary on the April 25 episode of "Raw," wrestling in an eight-man tag team match on that night. Orton teamed with Ezekiel, Riddle, and former Legacy stablemate Cody Rhodes to defeat Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, and The Usos. Over his 20-year career in WWE, Orton has won the Royal Rumble in 2009 and 2017, the Money in the Bank briefcase in 2013, headlined two WrestleManias, and has won 14 World Championships in WWE.