What does Randy Orton's short Royal Rumble appearance mean?

There have been various concerns over Randy Orton's short appearance in the Royal Rumble event that took place in the superstar's hometown.

Orton entered the 30-man Royal Rumble match at the 29th spot but didn't spend much time in the ring as he was eventually eliminated by Brock Lesnar, who emerged as the winner of the contest. Orton was also not present on the following episode of RAW, which came as a surprise to many as The Viper has been one of the mainstays in the promotion over the years.

Dave Meltzer spoke on Wrestling Observer Radio and highlighted that Randy's booking was somewhat unusual.

''I thought it was really weird that Orton wasn’t on TV,'' said Meltzer. ''And also he was only in the Rumble in a couple of minutes too. I questioned why would Orton, who’d get the biggest pop in the show (apart from the surprise pop for Ronda) why would he not compete for long.'' (H/T - Ringside News)

WWE creative team is planning for a split between Randy Orton and Matt Riddle

The WWE creative team has been working on an RK-Bro split for a while now. The popular tag team have been together for a significant amount of time and it is believed that both characters would benefit from a return to singles competition.

According to a report from WrestleVotes, the creative team had originally planned for the duo to split at SummerSlam 2021 but later decided to wait until WrestleMania season. It is being reported that the higher-ups want the two athletes to clash over the WWE Title.

Riddle is one of the 5 superstars who will compete for the WWE Title in the upcoming Elimination Chamber match in Saudi Arabia. It remains to be seen if Orton is involved in a feud with Riddle which could set them up for a match on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Would you like to see Randy Orton and Riddle clash over the WWE Title? Sound off in the comments below!