Eric Bischoff explains why 20-time WWE champion really deserves the retirement tour: "He is such an unbelievable performer"

WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff believes a current star deserves a retirement tour like John Cena, who ended his career on December 13. Cena became the first one in company history to have a farewell tour, something that is hard to do due to previous legends coming out of retirement for one final match.

The GOAT has been adamant about his in-ring career being over after losing to Gunther via submission at Saturday Night's Main Event. AJ Styles already announced that he'll be retiring in 2026, though he's not expected to have a farewell tour like Cena.

On a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff answered some fan questions. One of the questions was which star does he think deserves a retirement tour next? Biscoff didn't hesitate to name Randy Orton, who has been with WWE since 2000 and has won a total of 20 championships with the promotion.

"For me, the one retirement tour that I want to see is Randy Orton. I just, I think so much of Randy as a performer. He is such an unbelievable performer that I'd like to see him get the sendoff that he absolutely deserves," Bischoff said.

At 45 years old, Randy Orton is no longer in his prime, though he remains a valuable part of the WWE roster. Orton is already working a reduced schedule and has missed about 18 months from early 2022 to late 2023 due to a career-threatening back injury.

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Randy Orton's WWE return seemingly revealed

It's been a couple of months since Randy Orton was seen on television. He was one of the glaring absences during John Cena's retirement match. Orton was in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, along with other stars like Omos, Liv Morgan, Tiffany Stratton and Grayson Waller to promote the 2026 Royal Rumble.

According to WWE.com, The Viper is one of the advertised names for SmackDown's first show of 2026. He's part of the show graphic alongside Cody Rhodes, Chelsea Green, Drew McIntyre, Jacob Fatu, Stratton and Jade Cargill.

The January 2, 2026 edition of SmackDown will be held at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

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Edited by JP David