It's been months since we've heard anything definitive about Randy Orton's WWE status, with the former WWE Champion sidelined for well over a year now.
The last time we saw The Viper in the ring was last May 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 nagging injuries, and he was written off television after a storyline attack by Roman Reigns.
Original plans called for Orton to challenge the Head of the Table for the title at SummerSlam, making him the latest in a long list of Superstars who would have failed to overthrow Reigns.
While we've previously heard that WWE wanted Orton to come back and turn on his former tag team partner, there's still no indication that he'll be stepping back into the ring in the near future. Now, his father WWE Hall of Famer Bob Orton, has shared a disappointing update in an interview with Sportskeeda.
"He's training, so we'll see what happens; I don't know," Bob started. "If he feels like he's ready to go back, I think he might, but again he's pretty well taken care of. I don't think he [needs] to. And I think the doctors have told him not to. But Randy will do what Randy wants to do."
Randy reportedly underwent back fusion surgery last November, and it's beginning to sound like that could be a career-ending injury.
It would be a terrible shame for Orton's career to reach a premature end, though it does sound like he's pushing to do so. If we had to book his return, then it would be to attack Cody Rhodes and set the stage for a feud between the former allies.
We'll keep you updated as more details are revealed. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts below.