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WWE News: Randy Orton Returning For Huge ‘SummerSlam’ Match

By Shawn Lealos
Published on: 05:02 PST, Jul 5, 2016

A Randy Orton WWE return is coming, and he might have a huge opponent already lined up for SummerSlam. Randy has been one of the top WWE stars since he debuted for the main roster back in 2002, which also included the call-up of John Cena and Brock Lesnar. All three men have been major stars, and Cena has feuded with Lesnar and Orton both, holding the longest rivalry with Randy over the last 14 years. However, it looks like Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar will get a chance to finally square off in just one month.

411mania reported that the Randy Orton WWE return is coming, and he is heading to the WWE Performance Center next week so that he can get cleared to return to the ring. After that, the site indicates the big rumor is that Randy will battle Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam in August. This is huge news, and the WWE could be actually announcing that Orton vs. Lesnar match on Smackdown this week.

The way the WWE looks at Brock Lesnar is different than any of their other major stars. Someone like John Cena will start an angle with AJ Styles and then work it into a feud that then develops into a series of matches. However, as Paul Heyman likes to say, Brock Lesnar is not a WWE superstar and is instead a main-event attraction. The way the WWE deals with Lesnar is by booking him to fight a major star and then allowing the angle around the match to develop.

That is how this would work with Randy Orton’s WWE return. The WWE said they will announce Lesnar’s WWE SummerSlam opponent on SmackDown this week. That is one way to get people to tune into the show as they continue to try to build up the audience for the show, as USA Network has been unhappy with the numbers so far. SmackDown goes live this month with the WWE draft for the upcoming brand split.

There is no chance that Brock Lesnar shows up for SmackDown and the announcement, and if the WWE is smart, they will leave Paul Hayman at home as well. The idea would be to announce the match for SummerSlam as a special attraction, and Randy Orton would be a perfect person to put in that spot. Of course, if Orton can’t get cleared for his return next week, that would spoil the entire announcement, but it could also end Randy’s career.

The Randy Orton WWE return comes 11 months after he suffered a legitimate shoulder injury that took him out of action. Orton has suffered from a bad shoulder for much of his career and would often pop it back into place mid-match. However, after Randy’s most recent injury, the pain was too great to continue, and Orton finally took the time off to get it fixed. With the recent operations, there is hope that Randy will return without any further complications.

As for Brock Lesnar, this announcement is a big way to continue to make him a special WWE attraction. Bleacher Report indicated that this is risky timing due to Lesnar’s UFC 200 opponent. Brock fights Mark Hunt this weekend at the big UFC event, and if he loses some believe that it could hurt his WWE credibility. However, everyone knows that the WWE is scripted entertainment, and the WWE could fix that by having Lesnar return angry and out to hurt somebody.

That is where the Randy Orton WWE return works so well. Orton has been a star almost as long as Lesnar, although Randy did not have the collegiate success that Brock did. If Lesnar wants to destroy somebody, making it a star as big as Randy Orton is the way to go. Orton was a world champion as much as two years ago, so he has the credibility. Of course, a squash to Lesnar could really destroy any Randy Orton WWE return for the future, so Randy would need to get in plenty of offense, making this a SummerSlam match worth seeing.

[Image via WWE]

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