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RANDY ORTON’S WWE RETURN DATE EMERGES, ANTICIPATION AMONG FANS GROWS

Randy Orton is scheduled to return to WWE on the December 5 episode of SmackDown in Austin, Texas. The Viper has been absent since being attacked by The Vision faction in early October.

Randy Orton’s WWE return date emerges, anticipation among fans grows
Randy Orton returning soon - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Presumably, Randy Orton will return to WWE programming pretty soon.


For The Viper on WWE programming, the past few months have been strange. It began at SummerSlam when he and Jelly Roll were defeated by Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul in a tag match. Jelly Roll asked to lose a match that the two were about to win.

Orton lost to Drew McIntyre on the September 12 episode of SmackDown, which was just over a month later. Following this defeat, he would vanish until the SmackDown program on October 3, when Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed of The Vision defeated him and Cody Rhodes in a tag bout. After the match, Seth Rollins and the other members of The Vision attacked the Viper, who has not been seen since. But that appears to be about to change.

Randy Orton is currently being promoted by WWE for the SmackDown show in Austin, Texas, on December 5. This would be SmackDown's first show after the Survivor Series: WarGames premium live event this year.

Cody Rhodes received guidance from Randy Orton throughout his time in OVW.


Cody Rhodes shared a tale about the guidance he received from Randy Orton when he was just getting started in Ohio Valley Wrestling on the most recent episode of What Do You Want to Talk About.

Cody Rhodes recalls, "I remember Randy coming down to OVW, and he informed everybody there he was performing a bout at Six Flags." They assembled us for his address even though he did not have much to say.

He just said, "Make sure you are enjoying yourself." Because it is still fun once you are on the road, but it is a completely different kind of fun because it is a business. You will always remember this group, the people you trained with, and that amusing time you were sitting on your couch watching pay-per-views or PLEs and wondering when that would be me. Or when you witnessed your friend's call-up firsthand and realised how genuine it was. Yes, that is a really enjoyable time period.

THE SHIELD FACTOR: WHY SETH ROLLINS BELIEVES SPLITTING THE TEAM SAVED THREE LEGENDARY CAREERS

Is the Shield reuniting? Seth Rollins shuts down fans as Roman Reigns prepares to battle CM Punk at WrestleMania 2026.

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Rollins reflects on the 2014 chair shot that redefined modern professional wrestling

Seth Rollins has always been a lightning rod in wrestling, and he still feels the fallout from breaking up The Shield. Back in June 2014, he took everyone by surprise; he just turned on Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose with a steel chair, siding with Triple H and The Authority. That moment didn’t just shake up The Shield. It changed wrestling for good.

He talked about it on Club Shay Shay with Shannon Sharpe not long ago, saying that one decision flipped the whole industry on its head. The three of them, Rollins, Reigns, and Ambrose, had found their groove as a team. But splitting up was the push they all needed. If they’d stayed together, no way would they have become the stars they are now. Still, after all these years, Rollins gets grilled by grown adults! asking him why he did it.

“I still get asked about that. Seriously, it’s been 12 years, and people come up to me and say, ‘Why’d you break up The Shield?’ These are adults! They watched it as teens, sure, but come on. You know it’s not real. Does it really hurt that much? Wow,” he said. He just can’t believe a scripted moment from so long ago still hits people so hard.

No one can argue with what The Shield did for wrestling. All three guys are either holding or chasing world titles in WWE and AEW. Right now, Rollins has his own battles. He’s heading toward WrestleMania 42, but he’s coming off emergency surgery for a hernia, and that’s thrown his plans into chaos. Wrestling Observer Radio even reported that his big match against a returning rival might be off the table.

Roman Reigns, on the other hand, is gearing up for a huge showdown with CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship. And with Elimination Chamber coming up in Chicago on February 28, 2026, everyone’s watching the top stars. On the February 16 episode of Raw, Je’Von Evans punched his ticket to the Men’s Elimination Chamber by beating GUNTHER and Dominik Mysterio. Now he’s in there with Randy Orton, LA Knight, and Cody Rhodes.

For the women, Asuka, Rhea Ripley, Tiffany Stratton, and Alexa Bliss have already made it in. WWE is feeling the heat about ticket sales for WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium, so they’re leaning hard on the stories and history of their biggest names to pump up excitement for the two-night event in April.

INSIDE LIV MORGAN’S CALCULATED PLAN TO CHOOSE HER WRESTLEMANIA 42 CHAMPIONSHIP OPPONENT

Liv Morgan claims a dream match with AJ Lee would "solve world hunger" as she weighs her WrestleMania 42 title shot options.

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Liv Morgan eyeing WrestleMania 42 title shot

Liv Morgan has a wild sense of humour—she actually said that a match between her and AJ Lee would do more than just entertain fans. According to her, it’d solve world hunger. Seriously. In a recent chat with GQ Sports, Liv read a fan comment that said, “Her vs. AJ Lee would feed families,” and she took it even further: “We’d feed more than families. Like, world hunger would not be a thing.” When they asked how she pictured the match ending, Liv didn’t hesitate. “With me winning, obviously. But she’s a feisty one. Still, I’m putting my money on me.”

Fans have been dying to see Liv Morgan vs. AJ Lee ever since AJ returned to WWE last year. There’s a catch, though—rumour has it AJ Lee’s got a different WrestleMania 42 opponent lined up. And Liv? She’ll still be challenging for a Women’s Championship at the big event, but this dream match probably needs a little more time.

Liv’s still weighing her options for WrestleMania 42.

After she won the 2026 Women’s Royal Rumble, Liv told everyone at the PLE post-show that she’s not in a rush to choose her opponent. “I can pick any champion I want, and I don’t want to make some quick decision I regret. I’m taking my time. I’ll decide when it feels right and when I know who’s right.” She doubled down on that on RAW this week, saying she’s even planning to scope out SmackDown to see if she wants to go after Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship.

But if you’re looking for clues, Liv might’ve already dropped one—she ambushed Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer right after Stephanie defended her title against Raquel Rodriguez on RAW. Looks like Liv’s keeping her cards close, but she’s not shy about making a statement.

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