WWE Rumor Mill: How Randy Orton's Extreme Rules return was kept a surprise

What's the story?

Randy Orton returned to WWE television last night after a number of months away - and it's now been revealed that WWE went to some pretty extreme measures to make sure The Viper's return wasn't given away ahead of his appearance last night.

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In case you didn't know...

Randy Orton was last seen on WWE TV at Backlash last month when he was defeated by Jeff Hardy with the United States Championship on the line before The Viper was shelved and required knee surgery.

Orton, though, flew under the radar when it came to WWE Superstars fighting back from injury, with the likes of Dean Ambrose, Jason Jordan, Ruby Riott, Tamina, Fandango, Goldust and Bray Wyatt all being shelved whilst The Viper faced surgery and rehabilitation from said injury.

Orton returned last night and seemingly went back to where he left off. After Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Jeff Hardy for the United States Championship last night at Extreme Rules, Randy Orton made his entrance. Nakamura, though, was not the target of The Viper as he instead went after Jeff Hardy, his most recent opponent in WWE. The Viper did stare down the King of Strong Style, though, so Orton's future opponent isn't exactly set in stone.

The heart of the matter

Well, not many people would have predicted Randy Orton's return last night, and for very good reason. PWInsider reports that Orton was hidden backstage in a bus until approximately 30 minutes before his return to action. It's also noted that Orton's wife, Kim, was brought to ringside right before the return.

What's next?

The Viper's return date hasn't been officially revealed yet which means that he could still be out of action for the next few months, whilst Regal is expected to be back on WWE TV for the next set of tapings.

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What should WWE do with Orton next? A feud with Jeff Hardy, Shinsuke Nakamura, or someone else completely? Let us know in the comments.