KEY POINTS

  • Randy Orton is suffering from a back injury
  • Orton last competed in May when RK-Bro lost the title unification fight
  • Riddle is set to take on Roman Reigns on Friday

WWE superstar Randy Orton is reportedly eyeing a long injury layoff.

Orton, who has not wrestled for nearly a month now, is dealing with a back injury that has gotten "progressively worse," Sportskeeda reported, citing Fightful Select.

The RK-Bro member last competed in the WWE Tag Team Championship Unification match in May. RK-Bro lost against The Usos at the time. Soon after that, Orton was forced to take time off due to a back injury.

While the exact nature of Orton's injury is unknown, the latest backstage reports claim he struggled with his injury prior to the title match. As a result, he was forced to get the "work done" to compete in his latest bout before being ruled out of in-ring action. He may have to undergo surgery and if that happens, Orton could well be out for the remainder of 2022, according to WrestlingInc.

Randy Orton, Riddle, RK-Bro
Randy Orton and Riddle get ready to perform a draping DDT on The Street Profits' Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins. WWE

It is well known that the WWE Company had planned Orton in a major storyline ahead of the SummerSlam 2022, where he would challenge Roman Reigns for the title. With Orton out now, his RK-Bro teammate Riddle has moved up the spot as he is set to face off against the Tribal Chief on SmackDown on Friday.

It is going to be Riddle's first shot at the WWE Universal Championship. However, a stipulation has been added to Reigns and Riddle's fight. As per that, if Riddle loses, he would not be allowed to challenge for the title again until the belt belongs to Reigns.

Last month at WrestleMania Backlash, Reigns, along with The Usos – comprising The Bloodline – beat RK-Bro (Orton and Riddle) by pinfall in a six-man tag team match. Following that, The Usos defeated RK-Bro on the May 20 episode of SmackDown, making them the first-ever team to become unified Tag Team Champions in the WWE.

Riddle, who is determined to make The Bloodline pay for their past actions against his RK-Bro teammate Orton, now has a huge task ahead of him.

Drew McIntyre had earlier revealed that he would like to team up with Riddle and take away the Tag Team titles from The Usos.

RELATED STORIES