Randy Orton struck once again this past Friday night on WWE SmackDown, but this time with the swipe of a pen and not with one of his RKOs. Following RAW and SmackDown General Managers Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis, respectively, making their cases for why the returning star and free agent should join their brand, Orton chose to sign with SmackDown. His decision was heavily swayed by his desire to get even with The Bloodline, who took him out of action, and he ended the show staring down a somewhat terrified Paul Heyman.
Fightful reports that Orton will have lots of time to exact revenge on Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns’ group, as he signed a five-year deal in 2019. As it stands, Orton’s contract will expire in Fall 2024, but since he missed eighteen months of action due to injury, he may have his contract extended due to time missed for injury. One higher-up they spoke with says they expect that to happen, and it would see WWE retain Orton’s services into 2026. It was noted that sometimes talent does not have time added to their deals if they are injured and work in other areas for the company, but that does not appear to be the case for Orton.
Earlier today, on Rumor & Innuendo, former WWE creative team member and the man behind @WWECreative_ish, Robert Karpeles, commented on the report and how he expects WWE to handle re-signing Orton.
“The thing about adding time on at the end of contracts,” he began. “Yes, theoretically, WWE could do that. For a guy who has been so valuable and so essential to the company, you’re not going to hold him like an indentured servant. You will most likely wind up renewing him to a long contract. He is a WWE guy for life. He is going to make money off this company for the next 30 – 40 years. It’s a story, but it’s not a real story.”
Rumor & Innuendo, hosted by myself and Karpeles, is now available on the Haus of Wrestling, Ad Free Shows, and Rumor & Innuendo YouTube channels, as well as the Rumor & Innuendo podcast feed.
New Rumor & Innuendo episodes stream live Monday through Friday at Noon EST on the above YouTube channels and the following X accounts: @WWECreative_ish, @WrestlingHaus, @Nick_Hausman, @adfreeshows, and @rumorinpod.