WWE News: Major Speculation Surrounding Randy Orton’s Status In WWE

Not Randy Orton, right? After a WWE “Black Friday” that has already claimed the jobs of Damien Sandow, Wade Barrett, Santino Marella Hornswoggle, Zeb Colter, Alex Riley, El Torito and Cameron, rumor has it that a major star might be following them in their future endeavors. Enter the name Randy Orton, a.k.a. The Viper, a.k.a. WWE’s Apex Predator. There has yet to be any official confirmation, but releasing Randy Orton would certainly shock the wrestling community as a whole.

As reported by Daily Wrestling News, there are several factors which are leading people to believe that Orton has actually been let go, or is about to be. All of the aforementioned superstars who have been released have seen their WWE.com profiles transferred to the alumni section of the website. This is commonplace for when a performer has either retired or has been dismissed from the company. However, Randy Orton’s profile is inactive altogether. It’s not in the alumni section, but it’s not in the active roster section, either. It simply redirects to the main roster listing. Add in the fact that Rob Feinstein of RF Video also posted on his Facebook page that a top talent would be released Friday, and the pieces are starting to be put together.

Again, as of this writing, there has been no official statement nor has anything been confirmed, but Randy Orton may be in danger of losing his job. Orton has not competed in a match in WWE since October, a near eight-month absence already. There were some initial reports that saw The Viper returning shortly, but three weeks ago, the Inquisitr reported that he would be missing an additional two months. Orton missed time due to a shoulder injury and the subsequent surgery. He joined a list that included Cesaro, John Cena, Sami Zayn, and Hideo Itami among those who missed time due to shoulder issues.

Last year, Randy Orton restructured his contract to allow for a lighter schedule. The Apex Predator would work for several months then take a few weeks off. He wasn’t always required to work the house shows either, as his veteran status afforded him breaks that many superstars strive to get. The injury put a damper on those plans, but his absence still had many wondering when he would return and what he would do once he was back.

In the beginning of April, Inquisitrreported that Orton had two targetsin mind for his eventual return to the ring: Sami Zayn and Finn Balor. The old-guard vs new-guard dynamic would certainly create some compelling rivalries. Add in the fact that he was last seen feuding with The Wyatt Family before his injury, and the potential for fresh programs seemed fruitful. He departed in October as a babyface, but revealed that he preferred playing the role of heel, which would fit in well with the superstars he’d like to square off against. Zayn is already an over babyface on the main roster, Balor’s arrival is imminent, and WWE has been planning on turning the Wyatts face before Bray suffered an injury of his own.

Then, there’s AJ Styles. During WrestleMania weekend, Styles was doing his media rounds, and he mentioned John Cena and Randy Orton as two WWE veterans that he was looking forward to getting in the ring with; it could be another fresh feud just waiting for an RKO. But, all these potential matches may never happen if Orton does get his pink slip. A “really big” departure is about to go down, and at the moment, Randy Orton is the leading candidate.

Stay tuned for further updates as they unfold, as this would certainly shake things up in a major way.