It's now been months since we received a definitive update on Randy Orton's WWE status, and the former WWE Champion has been sidelined for well over a year.
The last time we saw The Viper in the ring was when he and Matt Riddle lost the RAW Tag Team Championships in a match against The Usos on SmackDown. There had been rumblings at the time Orton might be dealing with a nagging back injury, and he was written off television after a storyline attack by Roman Reigns.
Original plans called for Orton to return and challenge the Head of the Table for the title at SummerSlam, though we've also heard WWE wanted Orton to come back and turn on his former tag team partner.
Since then, his father Cowboy Bob Orton has claimed doctors have told his son not to wrestle again. The moment to reunite and then break up RK-Bro has also arguably passed, though with Riddle and Drew McIntyre both feuding with Imperium, Matt's old friend may well return to lend a helping hand.
Well, that's what most fans are hoping for, anyway!
Unfortunately, our latest update is not a positive one. According to Fightful Select, while Orton is healing up, he's nowhere near close to making a return. As a result, WWE Creative is not factoring him into any upcoming plans and he isn't even being discussed by those within the company right now.
On a slightly more promising note, Orton is working out and is described as being "huge." However, he isn't training for an in-ring return and one source tells the site that we shouldn't bank on any sort of surprise return at SummerSlam.
Then again, WWE might just be hoping to throw us off the scent. It's honestly impossible to say right now and if Orton doesn't show up at the PLE, chances are we can forget about seeing him back in the squared circle for the foreseeable future.
As always, we'll keep you updated when we learn more.