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Randy Orton has been sidelined since early November, when Kevin Owens delivered a piledriver to The Viper during a confrontation on SmackDown. Nearly four months later, the 14-time World Champion is one step closer to returning to the ring.
According to a report from PWInsider, Randy Orton will return to action in early March, which means that the earliest he can appear on SmackDown is the first episode following the Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event next Friday, March 7.
The Viper is expected to be back on time for WWE's European Tour, which will begin on Friday, March 14, and will end two weeks later, on Monday, March 31, with WWE visiting 11 cities across Europe.
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What the former World Champion will do upon his return remains uncertain, but the expectation is that he will target Kevin Owens, seeking revenge for the assault that kept him out for four months.
As for KO, he has a feud with his former best friend, Sami Zayn, and the two will compete in an Unsanctioned Match at Elimination Chamber in Toronto, Canada, this Saturday on March 1.
Former United States Champion thought the return of CM Punk and Randy Orton would destroy his momentum
For LA Knight, the return of CM Punk and Randy Orton at Survivor Series in November 2023 meant he could lose his momentum. This is what the former United States Champion said during an interview with Metro, as he had become a fan favorite at that time.
“Randy comes back, CM Punk comes back. And I’m like, ‘Alright, well, now the perception is going to be, I got defeated, now these guys are here, so now I fade.’ And I think a lot of people [had] kind of taken that stance for a moment," LA Knight said. [H/T PW Mania]
Despite CM Punk and Randy Orton's comeback, LA Knight kept his momentum and went on to become the United States Champion at SummerSlam in August, a title he lost to Shinsuke Nakamura four months later. He remains a fan favorite, and expectations are that he will soon have a rematch with Nakamura.
