WWE News: Big Updates On The Statuses Of Randy Orton And Alberto Del Rio

Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio are two of WWE’s most stalwart veterans on the roster for their abilities to put on solid matches with just about anybody. However, Orton has been out of action since last September due to a severe shoulder injury, as Del Rio returned to the WWE in October after more than a year away. And with the company’s next pay-per-view over a month away in the form of Battleground, it appears one won’t be on the card for sure, while the other is up in the air.

Ringside News is reporting that Orton, who was thought to be returning sooner than later, is not being advertised until August. It should be noted that Orton is being booked in tag matches for that particular live event tour, which is somewhat of an indication that WWE will be easing him back into the rigors of life in the ring. The question still remains whether Orton will be back in time for a match at SummerSlam, as his advertised dates aren’t until late August, with SummerSlam airing on August 21.

There have been conflicting reports over the last month about when Orton would come back, with some suggesting that it was imminent. WWE’s goal was to spread out big returns, as to not overload one show or overshadow one particular star over another. It became evident that Orton would not return on the most recent episode of Monday Night RAW when Bray Wyatt and The Wyatt Family made their much-anticipated return to set up their next program. Sasha Banks also made her first appearance on RAW in months. The advertised house show appearances should give a clearer indication of Orton’s time frame, but that doesn’t always necessarily mean he couldn’t come back before that.

The Inquisitr noted on Monday that Orton’s 2012 Hell In A Cell opponent, Alberto Del Rio, suffered an injury during the Money in the Bank ladder match on Sunday. He did indeed take a nasty bump in his final spot of the match and had to be helped out of the arena by medical personnel. Wrestling Inc noted that Del Rio was taken to a local medical facility in Las Vegas for a knee examination. Del Rio was permitted to travel to Monday’s episode of RAW in Phoenix, but obviously, was not used. It is not yet known whether he was kept off the show for precautionary reasons or if the injury is preventing him from competing.

Del Rio was dealing with a separate issue following the Money In The Bank pay-per-view, aside from his injured knee. He and his girlfriend, Paige, were seen arguing outside of a Las Vegas casino, which resulted in Paige getting detained by police. She was not arrested, but was also taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation. While Del Rio was not used in any capacity during Monday’s tapings, Paige was booked in a WWE Women’s Championship match, which she lost against Charlotte. However, it appears she’ll be involved in a tag feud with Sasha against Charlotte and Dana Brooke moving forward.

As far as Battleground is concerned, the news on Orton pretty much guarantees he won’t have a match on the card, especially with his SummerSlam status still uncertain. Meanwhile, Del Rio will have some work to do to get on the card next month as well. It became more and more evident that Alberto was the biggest long shot in the Money in the Bank ladder match, and this injury (however severe) will delay anything Vince McMahon and the creative team had planned for him, if there was anything to begin with.

[Image via WWE]