Randy Orton made his return from injury at a WWE house show Sunday, and his subsequent re-emergence on television is imminent.
After taking several weeks off to rehabilitate a back injury, Orton returned to continue his feud with Wade Barrett at the house show in Las Cruces, NM. Orton attacked Barrett, who was responsible for his injury in storyline, leading to a pull-apart angle in front of the live crowd.
WWE had initially been advertising Orton’s television return for last Monday’s RAW but ultimately scrapped the plan and killed the promotion.
But based on Orton’s return this past Sunday, it seems a certainty that the wrestler will return to television in time for next weekend’s Royal Rumble match, for which he is considered a favorite to win (along with Chris Jericho). F4WOnline.com initially noted there was talk of holding Orton’s return off as a Royal Rumble “surprise,” but the current plan is apparently for the wrestler to appear on this week’s SmackDown! taping following a promotional build-up on Monday’s RAW.
