Randy Orton's first major feud with WWE may have subtly been decided already - Reports

Randy Orton is back in WWE and has become one of the main topics of discussion over the past week after he signed with SmackDown and immediately hit Nick Aldis with an RKO. Now, further details about his contract with WWE have been reported.

The Viper's return came after one and a half years on the shelf, thanks to a serious back injury. He returned at Survivor Series teaming up with Cody Rhodes' team and appears to be set to be involved with the Bloodline following an attack on SmackDown last week. Given they are the ones who "put him on the shelf," the star appears to be going straight at them with a single-minded purpose.

Michael Hayes produced Orton's segments on WWE RAW and SmackDown. As reported by Fightful Select, Hayes is usually the one producing segments for Roman Reigns and The Bloodline. Even if a star is not actively in a segment with The Bloodline, if the star is being built up to face Reigns, then Hayes is the one who produces their segments.

This was also seen with LA Knight when he was being prepared to feud with The Tribal Chief and The Bloodline, so it appears that he will likely be facing off against Roman Reigns in his first big feud.

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Randy Orton's contract situation in WWE

Fightful Select has reported that his contract was set to expire in the fall of 2024. However, since Randy Orton was injured, WWE will likely extend it.

It is uncertain how far they will extend it, but given that he was out with an injury for the past year and a half, it could be till 2025 or even into 2026. During his time away, Orton was not involved in working for WWE in any capacity and was presumably only focusing on recovering.

It remains to be seen what happens next with Randy Orton, but a feud with The Bloodline might close out 2023 for him.