Potential WWE Return Date For Randy Orton Revealed

One of WWE's top stars looks set to make their return in the near future, if who the company are advertising for upcoming tapings of Friday Night SmackDown is any indication.

Randy Orton has not appeared on WWE programming since he received a stomp from Seth Rollins and a tsunami from Bronson Reed as part of a beatdown from The Vision on the October 3 episode of SmackDown. The angle occurred after Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed defeated Orton and Cody Rhodes in the main event of the Friday night show.

Orton is currently being advertised for the December 5 episode of Friday Night SmackDown in Austin, Texas. WWE could book Orton to return as a surprise during the November 21 double taping of SmackDown, but WWE's own promotion suggests the multi-time world champion will be back on SmackDown for early December.

Orton looks set to be full-time on WWE TV as he is also being advertised for the December 12, December 19, and January 2 tapings of SmackDown.

The January 2 episode will reportedly be the first edition of SmackDown in several months to be three hours long, following a deal being reached between WWE and USA Network. SmackDown was previously a three-hour show for the first half of 2025, but the show has primarily been a two-hour series since its premiere in 1999.