4 signs Randy Orton will NOT return in the 2025 men's Royal Rumble match

Randy Orton is rumored to return at the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble. The Viper was written off television in November after being attacked by Kevin Owens on SmackDown. Although the premium live event has featured the returns of several superstars in the past, Orton might not be one of them this year.

Randy Orton and Kevin Owens feuded for the latter parts of 2024. The former partners turned rivals had several confrontations and brawls until the November 8 episode, which saw The Prizefighter deliver a devastating Piledriver to The Viper. The 14-time World Champion hasn't been seen since, but reports stated that he might return at the upcoming Royal Rumble or earlier. Still, there's a possibility that his absence might be prolonged.

For this list, we will look at four signs that indicate that Randy Orton will not return in the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble.

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#4. WWE Royal Rumble 2025 is stacked

This year's Royal Rumble is one of the most stacked in recent history, and fans don't need to rely on unexpected appearances to make it exciting. Stars like John Cena, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, and Seth Rollins, are all confirmed to enter the Men's Rumble Match. While this is a good thing for fans, it might not be for The Apex Predator.

Randy's return in the 2025 Rumble match might be overshadowed by the amount of talent in the men's match alone, which is something he doesn't deserve after months of absence. Due to this, the Stamford-based promotion might want to have him return at a different time so he can have all the spotlight.

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#3. Kevin Owens will be busy at the Rumble

Once Randy returns to WWE, it only makes sense that his first opponent back will be Kevin Owens. However, The Prizefighter is still occupied with his Undisputed Championship match against Cody Rhodes at the Rumble.

Since Owens won't be at the 30-man match, Randy will have no target and will just be one of the stars who will participate in the gimmick battle royal. Since it seems unlikely that Orton will win it, it's better to hold his return until he can focus on Owens.

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#2. WWE might be saving Randy Orton's first face-off against John Cena

One of the stars fans want John Cena on his farewell tour is Randy Orton. Both stars have a long history as rivals but are also well-known close friends in real life. Due to their bond, WWE might have something special planned for them.

Instead of returning at the Rumble, Randy can come back during a televised appearance of the 16-time World Champion and confront him. In this way, the creative might even build a WrestleMania match between the two legends.

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#1. Randy Orton losing in his return might derail his character

Orton being sidelined by KO might be WWE's way of gaining sympathy from the crowd. But putting him on the shelf is also a way to rebuild The Viper's character and make him come back stronger.

With this in mind, returning just to lose at the Royal Rumble might show that Orton still hasn't recovered from the attacks and he is still not ready to go after Owens. It'll be interesting to see what the future holds for The Legend Killer.