5 potential first-time opponents for Randy Orton when he returns to WWE

Randy Orton has not been seen in a WWE ring since May 2022 after he and Matt Riddle failed to beat The Usos for the Undisputed Tag Team Championship. He has been nursing a severe back injury since.

However, earlier this week, the 14-time World Champion was seen at the WWE Performance Center, leading many to believe that he may be on his way back to the ring very soon.

With his return potentially on the cards, we are going to take a look at five potential first-time opponents for The Viper to face.

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#5 The Viper takes on a general

One performer who has risen in the company during Orton's absence is the reigning Intercontinental Champion, Gunther.

The Austrian is now the longest reigning champion in the history of this illustrious championship. If Randy does indeed come back soon, then it would be poetic if he was able to win back the title he won 20 years ago at the start of his career.

With his hard-hitting style and vicious demeanor, Gunther has been compared to Randy by many. Speaking on Busted Open Radio, the Ring General reacted to the comparisons between him and the future Hall of Famer.

"Thank you for that comparison. I think Randy’s one of the best ever, so it’s very charming." (H/T EWrestling News)

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#4 A rising star takes on the former WWE Champion

One young star who has made a big impression on fans over the past few months is Grayson Waller, who looks to verbally get under the skin of his opponents.

Like Orton at the start of his career, Waller is making his name by taking on various legends. Most notably, he had a promo battle with John Cena at Money In The Bank as well as an entertaining match with Edge on SmackDown.

With Waller showing no signs of holding back in his tirade towards WWE's legends, Randy may decide to return and beat some respect into the young performer.

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#3 Randy Orton faces one of WWE's most promising talents

Like Orton, another performer who has family roots in the professional wrestling business is the former NXT Champion, Bron Breakker.

In recent months, Breakker has shown that he, like Randy, has a vicious side to his WWE persona. With him being in NXT for quite some time now, what better way for Breakker to make an immediate impact on the main roster than to attack a returning Randy Orton.

In 2022, Breakker spent a brief spell on the company's main roster. Speaking on WWE’s The Bump, Bron revealed that Randy Orton was one of the experienced stars who gave him advice when he was on RAW.

"Randy Orton was another one. It was cool, I figured, I just keep my head down, my mouth shut, and just kind of focus on my job and just try to do the best that I can do, and it was cool to see guys reach out to me and give me tips and pointers and things to help me so I couldn’t be more thankful for that opportunity and that experience.” (H/T Cultaholic)

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#2 Orton heads to A-Town

Another young performer who has worked with big names like John Cena, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock is Austin Theory.

While the former United States Champion has proved to be a divisive star with fans, it seems as though the company has a lot of faith in him to become one of its future top stars.

During a recent exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling, Theory named the Apex Predator as a desired opponent of his.

"Definitely Randy Orton, definitely Stone Cold Steve Austin. Me and Randy, we'll have a fresh start. I think that'll be really good. But Stone Cold Steve Austin, he hit me with a Stunner last year and I didn't forget about that. I didn't forget." [3:12 – 3:28] [H/T Sportskeeda]

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#1 The Apex Predator takes on a potential World Champion

During his WWE career, Randy Orton has won multiple WWE titles, including the World Heavyweight Championship.

With a new iteration of the big gold belt now back in the fray, Orton may look to go for gold when he makes his return. The Viper has faced current champ Seth Rollins on multiple occasions, though it could be entirely possible that the holder of the belt will be Mr. Money In The Bank, Damian Priest by the time the former Legend Killer comes back.

Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling, Priest was full of praise for Randy Orton, naming him as one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time.

"Randy Orton! The guy’s an easy Hall of Famer, one of the greatest to ever do this, still going strong. Still one of the best in the world, if not the best. He’s awesome." (H/T Sportskeeda)

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Who would you like to see The Viper face when he returns to in-ring action? Sound off in the comments section below.