Randy Orton has been missing from WWE since WrestleMania 42. According to Dave Meltzer, it’s because of a back injury that Meltzer called significant.
“That’s why he’s been gone since WrestleMania, and it’s probably why he didn’t win the title,” Meltzer said Sunday during Wrestling Observer Radio.
As social media picked up the story, Orton responded on X, writing:
“Lmao just milking it guys, leave me alone I’m trying to enjoy my summer before I come back and take that #15.”
Before his match with Cody
Rhodes at WrestleMania 42, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter said that Orton was reportedly hurting. During the match, the announcers mentioned that Orton was dealing with a back injury, which Rhodes focused his attack on.
Rhodes went on to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship but was attacked by Orton after the match. Instead of the angle continuing on TV in the days after, Orton disappeared.
Orton was out of action for more than 18 months following an injury that required double fusion back surgery. Speaking to Logan Paul after making his return at the 2023 Survivor Series, the 14-time world champion described the issues he experienced.
“I couldn’t stand for more than a couple minutes without having pain shoot down my legs,” Orton said. “When I would sit, I had a disc that was slipping every time I would bend. So, you know, on a plane, sitting here, my feet would go numb, and I’d have pain shooting down my legs.”
On Sunday, Orton’s post made light of Meltzer’s report, but he didn’t outright deny it either.
Last week, Meltzer’s reporting came under question after he claimed that Roman Reigns wasn’t advertised for Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia on June 27. Promotional materials, including advertising and an event poster shared by Saudi government official Turki Alalshikh, showed otherwise.
