WWE legend makes surprise return on SmackDown; sets his sights on the World title

The first episode of SmackDown of 2026 kicked off with a blockbuster sight, as 14-time WWE World Champion Randy Orton made his return after months of hiatus. The show began with The Miz hijacking the show and letting out his grievances and supposed ill-treatment by WWE over the last few months. As the former WWE Intercontinental Champion continued his rant, he was interrupted by the arrival of Orton.The Viper marched to the ring and confronted The Miz who offered to join forces with him and become Miz-KO. Orton thought about it for a minute, before taking him out with an RKO-outta-nowhere to a huge ovation by the WWE Universe. Right after the segment, Orton met his real-life friend and reigning Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes. The Apex Predator made it clear to Rhodes that once he was done with Drew McIntyre, he would be next in line to challenge him for his championship.Randy Orton had only a handful of appearances in 2025. As the year began, he had an intense feud with Kevin Owens with a match scheduled to take place between them at WrestleMania 41. However, due to Owens’ neck injury, the match was cancelled and Orton faced Joe Hendry and won the match in mere minutes.On the RAW after WrestleMania 41, he reignited his feud with long-time rival, John Cena, over the Undisputed WWE Championship. This led to a final match between the duo at WWE Backlash where Orton was unsuccessful in dethroning Cena. The 14-time World Champion attempted to bounce back by participating in the King of the Ring tournament and made it all the way to the finals. However, he lost to Cody Rhodes in the final round that took place at the WWE Night of Champions Premium Live Event in Saudi Arabia.Orton’s last appearance took place at WWE SummerSlam Day 1, where he teamed up with popular music sensation, Jelly Roll, to square off against Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul in a losing effort. With the future WWE Hall of Famer back in the mix at the dawn of 2026, it will be interesting to see what the new year has in store for Randy Orton.Also read: Record breaking WWE Champion John Cena acknowledges a major retirement days after his final match