WWE made a decision with Randy Orton and CM Punk after their returns that might be "politically" motivated, says veteran (Exclusive)

It's seemingly a great time to be a WWE fan following Randy Orton's and CM Punk's comebacks. Following Survivor Series, however, Randy was chosen to open RAW while Punk was given the main event segment, a decision that Vince Russo believes was political in nature.

Randy Orton made his in-ring return after over a year during the Survivor Series WarGames match, and it was a moment that, at the time, felt like the biggest takeaway from the show.

However, CM Punk's appearance after the match arguably took some of the shine off of Randy's return. During this week's Writing with Russo episode, Vince agreed that Punk showing up undermined what Randy Orton had done at Survivor Series.

In what seemed like a politically motivated decision, Russo explained that WWE might have deliberately wanted Orton to open RAW to make up for the developments at Survivor Series.

"Yeah, bro, it kind of was. Like I said, I didn't agree with that because of that reason. I think it definitely was. That's why Orton opened the show and not CM Punk. Politically, they had to do that." [3:00 - 3:16]

Vince Russo claimed that WWE would have never stacked up two returns in the Attitude Era as they did at Survivor Series 2023, especially considering how long Randy Orton was sidelined from active competition.

Russo continued:

"Bro, the old WWE I worked with, if I had a guy out injured a year and a half, you would have never freaking upstaged him like that. You wouldn't have done that 25 years ago." [3:19 - 3:30]

Vince Russo on whether Randy Orton would have had any problems with CM Punk's return

The Apex Predator has been in the wrestling business longer than most current talents, and according to Vince Russo, Orton would not have been against having Punk also return on the same night as him.

Randy Orton is one of the most respected names in the game, who previously had a controversial backstage reputation.

Orton, however, is a more mature performer these days, and Vince Russo was confident that the former world champion would have given his blessings to Punk instead of showing resistance to WWE's plan.

"I bet, you know, Orton is a veteran, and I bet he got it, and he understood, and he gave it his blessings. I'm sure of it." [4:38 - 4:50]

Do you think WWE made the right call with Orton and Punk at Survivor Series? Sound off in the comments section below.

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