4 biggest ways WWE has changed in Randy Orton's 18-month absence

Survivor Series 2023 is set to see Randy Orton return to WWE after 18 months out with a career-threatening back injury. Fans are ecstatic to see the Viper return to the ring to join hands with Cody Rhodes and his crew against Team Judgment Day in WarGames after so long on the sidelines. The Chicago event thus promises to be a night of blockbuster drama and entertainment, not to mention grueling action inside the famous structure.

The Viper has been out for so long that he will arrive to a radically different landscape, top to bottom, than he left. For one, tag team partner-turned-rival Edge is now Adam Copeland in AEW, while his most recent tag partner, Matt Riddle, is also no longer with WWE. Many changes have happened in Orton’s absence, but which ones have been the biggest?

Here are four of the biggest changes that have altered the landscape of WWE during Randy Orton's 18-month absence.

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#4. The WWE roster has undergone drastic personnel changes in Randy Orton's absence

Since Randy Orton was last in a televised WWE match, the locker room has gone through a radical transformation. The very top names are still the same, with the likes of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, and Bianca Belair at or near the top of the card as they were then. Much of the landscape from May 2022 has drastically changed, too, and many stars from then are virtually unrecognizable.

Max Dupri is now LA Knight, while promising performers like Ezekiel, Madcap Moss, Rick Boogs, and Mandy Rose are no longer with the company. Iconic Orton rivals and collaborators like Edge, Matt Riddle, Dolph Ziggler, and Ric Flair are no longer in the company for different reasons. Even NXT call-ups like Solo Sikoa and Iyo Sky have debuted and grown to main event status during his layoff.

18 months is a long time in pro wrestling, and Randy Orton's absence shines quite a light on this truth.

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#3. Four new World Championships were introduced in WWE during Randy Orton's 18-month injury layoff

When Randy Orton last competed in WWE on May 20, 2022, the WWE Women's and World Women's Championships were the RAW and SmackDown Women's Titles, respectively. His last match was 372 days out from the inauguration of the World Heavyweight Championship, and 377 from the introduction of the current Undisputed Title design.

When The Viper returns to the company, he will find a whole different set of silverware from what he left. Given that he has been a champion for almost the entirety of his career, he will most likely be keen to get his hands on all that unfamiliar gold. As he potentially chases John Cena and Ric Flair's record tally of sixteen, it would be foolish to bet against him.

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#2. WWE's sale to Endeavour was finalized in Randy Orton's long absence

When Randy Orton was written off WWE television in May 2022 to allow him to get treatment for an accumulation of back injuries, fans feared the worst. With rumors swirling around that he may never return to the ring, many thought we had seen the last of him in the company. Thankfully, that was not true, but the tag team title unification match proved to be the end of an era in his career.

That bout marked the last time The Apex Predator competed in the McMahon era of WWE. 11 months later, the company was acquired by Endeavour and merged with UFC to create a $ 21 billion juggernaut called TKO. Therefore, when Orton's music hits at Survivor Series in Chicago, he will quite literally be stepping into a new era.

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#1. Vince McMahon was replaced at the helm of WWE Creative by Triple H

Arguably the biggest and most relevant change to happen to the WWE product in Randy Orton's long absence was HHH taking over from Vince McMahon. The Chairman had been at the helm of Creative for the entirety of The Viper's 20-year tenure with the company, and his father's before that. He managed to find great success under the 78-year-old, winning 20 titles.

Now, he returns to a creative landscape helmed by The Game, his former on-screen stablemate and fierce rival. The duo are said to be very close behind the scenes, so one would expect The Legend Killer to continue being featured as a top attraction. However, it will be extremely interesting to see how The Cerebral Assassin's vision of him differs from Vince McMahon's.

Are you excited for Randy Orton's return at Survivor Series? Sound off in the comments below!