Published: May 17, 2026 by Jamie Toolan | Last Updated: May 17, 2026 by Jamie Toolan
Jamie has been covering the world of wrestling for four years and currently holds the position of Assistant Editor of WrestleTalk.com. During his time working for WrestleTalk.com he has written and published over 4,000 news and feature articles covering events and happenings from WWE, AEW, TNA and a variety of international and independent wrestling promotions.
WWE
Randy Orton’s absence from WWE TV since WrestleMania 42 is reportedly due to him dealing with a “significant” back injury.
UPDATE: Randy Orton responds to WWE back injury reports – click here for the latest.
Despite seemingly setting up the continuation of his feud with Cody Rhodes when he attacked the Undisputed WWE Champion at the end of WrestleMania 42 Night One, Randy Orton has been off TV since “The Grandest Stage of Them All.”
With Rhodes moving on and into a feud with GUNTHER, fans have been wondering what Orton’s status is heading into the Summer months.
Now we appear to have an answer, as Dave Meltzer reported during the latest Wrestling Observer Radio that Orton’s absence is due to “The Viper” dealing with a “significant” back injury:
“Back injury. That’s why he’s been gone since WrestleMania. That’s probably why he didn’t win the title.
“It’s significant. He’s had it for years, it almost ended his career. (He) came back, and it’s still there.”
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This update follows previous reports from Meltzer that Orton was “hurting” ahead of his WrestleMania 42 match, with the 14-time world champion said to have been originally planned to dethrone Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship
As Meltzer mentioned, Orton previously missed well over a year of action due to a serious, potentially career-ending back injury in 2022/2023.
We will provide further updates on Orton’s injury status and potential return as they become available.
What’s Next For Randy Orton
It’ll be interesting to see what’s next for Randy Orton as he turned heel in the build-up to WrestleMania, but until Pat McAfee was inserted into the picture, he was getting cheered over Cody Rhodes.
After another break, fans are likely going to be on Orton’s side once again when he’s back, so he might effectively just be a babyface again.
A babyface version of the ‘2009 Randy Orton’ may be the way to go – doing unhinged things that he would have been doing as a heel, but doing them to other heels so the fans are on his side.
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