The first RAW on Netflix is fast approaching and the current expectation is that WWE plans to deliver a WrestleMania-sized event to mark the flagship show's streaming debut.
Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and John Cena are among the names set to appear but what about Randy Orton? His triumphant return to WWE at the end of last year has seen The Viper deliver some of the best work of his career, though he's been sidelined with a storyline injury since November.
As you may recall, Kevin Owens took him out with a piledriver ahead of their planned Crown Jewel match; while Orton returning for revenge seems inevitable, some believe he could target Cody Rhodes and the American Nightmare's Undisputed WWE Championship.
While that's all bound to play out soon, according to Sportskeeda's Dr. Chris Featherstone on X, Orton is not currently scheduled to be part of the debut episode of RAW on Netflix.
"I've had a bunch of people inquire about the status of Randy Orton regarding January 6," the insider said. "I've been informed that he is currently not scheduled to be a part of the debut episode of [WWE RAW] on Netflix."
This is a shame but it's likely Orton's return is being saved either for the Royal Rumble PLE in February or an upcoming episode of SmackDown seeing as he is a blue brand Superstar.
"To answer your question honestly, I think do this for as long as I can and make sure, we brought up my wife Kim on a couple of occasions, she told me, 'When it’s time to hang them up, I’ll let you know,'" Orton previously said of his in-ring future. "If this is when I need to hang them up, I don’t want to go here."
"I don’t want to retire and have a last match and then leave the company and have another last match and another one and another one."
He added, "Like John [Cena]. When he says, ‘This is my last Royal Rumble. This is my last Elimination Chamber. This is my last WrestleMania.’ He means it. If anyone has ever meant that, it’s him. I want to follow suit. I want, when it’s all said and done and it’s over, I want it to be over. I want to take it to that point and then tear it down and ride off into the sunset."
Stay tuned for updates on Orton's WWE status as we have them.