Unfortunate Randy Orton news ahead of WWE RAW

Randy Orton hasn't been seen on WWE TV for several weeks, but following Crown Jewel, it has now been revealed that The Viper has missed three major WWE PLEs in a row.

Orton isn't injured; he appears not to be being booked well at the moment, with his wife even commenting on this a few weeks ago. Orton was part of an interesting feud with Drew McIntyre for several weeks before Cody Rhodes returned and took over the story.

While John Cena's Retirement Tour is ongoing and fans are pushing for him to have the best send-off, there are others who are worried that Orton is not being used as well as he could be.

Orton and Cena's careers have ran side by side, but while Cena has moved away from wrestling and into acting, Orton has remained loyal to WWE and while injuries have limited him in recent years, he has still been one of the company's most versatile performers.

Orton himself could be set to retire soon, and fans are hoping that he is afforded the same creative liberties as Cena throughout that process.

Will Randy Orton return on WWE SmackDown?

Randy Orton didn't make the trip to Australia with WWE, so it's likely that he will return when the company is back stateside.

That being said, Drew McIntyre appears to have stepped into a story with Jacob Fatu so there's not a lot for Orton to do at present unless he is determined to be Cody's next challenger, which isn't likely given his recent absence.

With Survivor Series looming, it would be the perfect time to bring back Orton, given his record at the event, and given the fact that if Rhodes needs a team, then he would be one of the strongest members to be added.

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Edited by Phillipa Marie