After Randy Orton's return, a match against his dream WWE opponent no longer seems unrealistic

Randy Orton made his long-awaited return to WWE at Survivor Series: WarGames on Saturday. In the main event, he teamed up with Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, and Seth Rollins to defeat Drew McIntyre and The Judgment Day. All eyes now switch to Orton's next opponents, both short-term and long-term.

In the immediate future, the 14-time world champion could battle it out with any of the five superstars he faced inside the WarGames structure. He also has unfinished business with Jey Uso, one of the men he feuded with shortly before suffering a career-threatening back injury 18 months ago.

Further down the line, one person stands out above the rest as Orton's dream opponent. In March 2021, The Viper appeared on Stone Cold Steve Austin's Broken Skull Sessions show on the WWE Network. He gave an interesting response when asked to list some wrestlers he wishes he faced:

"You know what, Steve, I've been very lucky to wrestle damn near anyone I've ever wanted to be in the ring with, from [Hulk] Hogan to [Ric] Flair to Shawn [Michaels] to 'Taker [The Undertaker]," Orton said. "I don't wanna be up your a** too much, but you'd be one of them. We never got to tango in the ring."

At the time, Austin seemed happily retired while Orton was on the verge of beginning a year-long tag team partnership with Matt Riddle. Fast forward two-and-a-half years and the possibility of a first-time-ever Austin vs. Orton rivalry is not as unrealistic as it seemed back then.

---

Steve Austin's status after Randy Orton's return

In 2003, Steve Austin retired after facing The Rock at WrestleMania 19. While the likes of Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels later reversed their retirement decisions, Austin looked as though he was serious about never returning.

Then, 19 years after his last match, The Texas Rattlesnake surprisingly made his in-ring comeback against Kevin Owens in his home state at WrestleMania 38. Many expected the WWE icon to compete again at WrestleMania 39, with Brock Lesnar touted as a possible opponent. However, another match never came to fruition.

Austin has maintained that he could return for another bout "if the stars align." With Randy Orton now back in the fold, perhaps this dream encounter isn't out of the question.

Would you like to see Randy Orton vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin? Let us know in the comments section below.