Update On When Randy Orton & Drew McIntyre Will Return To WWE TV

Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton look set to make their returns to WWE TV at some point during the summer of 2026.

WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select has reported that an internal document within WWE that circulated this month included Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre in connection with SummerSlam. Sources within WWE have noted McIntyre and Orton appeared to be on track to return for the WWE pay-per-view scheduled for August 1 and August 2 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Both Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre have been absent from WWE's programming since WrestleMania 42. McIntyre's absence has been in relation to the upcoming reboot of Highlander, with McIntyre filming his remaining scenes for the movie in which he will portray Angus MacLeod, the brother of Henry Cavill's Connor MacLeod. McIntyre finished those commitments in late May and he was advertised for WWE shows in late May and early June, but he is yet to resurface on WWE TV since losing an Unsanctioned Match to Jacob Fatu on night one of WrestleMania. McIntyre was reportedly the backup plan for the main event of Clash in Italy, though, had Jacob Fatu not been cleared to compete.

Randy Orton main evented WrestleMania 42 night one in his Undisputed WWE Title match with Cody Rhodes. Orton lost that match, but his post-match actions of punting Cody suggested the programme would continue coming out of WrestleMania. Reports have noted, however, that he has been sidelined with a back injury.

Orton has suffered from serious back issues over the past several years to the point he was on the shelf for 18 months between May 2022 and November 2023 after undergoing back fusion, and he was even advised to retire from professional wrestling because of the severity of the injury.