Concerning update on WWE Superstar Randy Orton's injury and backstage plans for his return

WWE Superstar Randy Orton's injury has gotten "progressively worse," as reported by Fightful Select.

Orton last competed in the WWE Tag Team Championship Unification match in May, where RK-Bro lost against The Usos. He was then forced to take time off due to a back injury.

The latest backstage reports claim that Randy Orton struggled with his injury prior to the title match mentioned earlier. As a result, he was forced to get "work done" to compete in his latest bout before being ruled out of in-ring action.

Since then, things have taken a bad turn, and Orton could now be forced to undergo surgery. If that happens, The Viper may not return to the squared circle this year.

It is worth noting that the creative team was initially factoring Orton into a massive storyline ahead of SummerSlam 2022. However, that option appears bleak at the moment, and sources fear that he will remain on the sidelines for at least the next six months.

WWE's backup plans in the absence of Randy Orton

The original pitch for Roman Reigns' title feud involved Randy Orton. However, in his absence, Riddle has been moved to that spot.

The other half of RK-Bro recently won a shot at the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. He is now set to challenge The Tribal Chief for gold on the upcoming episode of SmackDown.

An interesting stipulation was added to the title match earlier this week on RAW. Paul Heyman announced that should Riddle fail to beat Roman Reigns in the match; he won't get another shot at the championship as long as The Tribal Chief holds the title.

Riddle, who is determined to make The Bloodline pay for their past actions against Randy Orton, now has a huge task ahead of him. It will be exciting to see him chase the most coveted prize in the company later this week.