Randy Orton is supposed to face Bray Wyatt at WWE Backlash on Sunday Night. At SummerSlam last August, “The Viper” squared off against “The Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar. The match was quick and had a brutal finish. At the end of the match, Lesnar mounted Orton and delivered a hard forearm to his head, followed by fists, which caused Orton to have 10 staples in his head. The ending was so brutal that rumors circled it wasn’t part of the plan.
It has been revealed that the finish to the match was indeed planned, but, of course, the injury to Randy Orton wasn’t. Prior to their match, “The Viper” made an off-color comment about Brock Lesnar failing two UFC drug tests. Many speculate that the stiff blows Orton received from “The Beast” was his receipt for those comments.
This past Saturday at a house show, Orton was supposed to face Wyatt but he was replaced by Kane because of an injury. Randy Orton recently returned to the ring after being out for months because of a shoulder injury. Now, he is supposedly having concussion issues assumed to be the result from the pummeling he received from the hands of Brock. On Sunday, PWIluustrated reported that Randy Orton would not wrestle at WWE Backlash .
“Randy Orton will not be competing tonight at WWE Backlash, PWInsider has confirmed. Orton was slated to wrestle Bray Wyatt. There is no word yet on how WWE will handle the situation in terms of its storylines.”
“According to multiple sources, Orton has yet to be cleared by WWE to compete in the ring after the TKO finish of the SummerSlam match against Brock Lesnar. WWE had been hoping Orton would be cleared over this past week, but that did not happen.”
“The issue appears to be concussion-related, which would mean Orton has not passed an Impact test.”
Given the fact that Kane replaced Orton at the recent live event,many speculate that he could be his replacement at WWE Backlash . Aside from brief appearances to chokeslam someone on Smackdown , Kane has not wrestled on TV for quite some time. The WWE universe and live Backlash audience may welcome the monster back to the ring; however, most will be disappointed if Randy Orton doesn’t wrestle.
PWIllustrated provides solid information; so it is doubtful that this particular report may be false. However, during the pre-show for WWE Backlash they are still promoting Orton vs. Wyatt and recently WWE tweeted some promos for the match.
TONIGHT: @RandyOrton will step into the ring at #WWEBacklash against The #EaterOfWorlds @WWEBrayWyatt ! pic.twitter.com/CxipJHFLNA
— WWE (@WWE) September 11, 2016
What side of #TheViper @RandyOrton will come out against @WWEBrayWyatt tonight at #WWEBacklash on @WWENetwork ? pic.twitter.com/Vxs4lW6AXc
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) September 11, 2016
Backlash is a return for the old pay-per-view staple and the first exclusive Smackdown pay-per-view since the brand-split. With John Cena being overseas Randy Orton is one of the biggest names on this card. Fans will also have the main event at Backlash to look forward to: AJ Styles squares off against champion Dean Ambrose.
It’s the first-ever #SDLive PPV, and @mauroranallo @JCLayfield & @DavidOtunga are looking dapper! #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/HgLic9ewIi
— WWE (@WWE) September 11, 2016
Many fans of the WWE universe feel Bray Wyatt has never been properly pushed in the company. Wyatt taking on “The Viper” at Backlash may be the match he needs to reignite his popularity. Randy Orton’s long awaited return hit with a thud after the way he lost to Lesnar. The WWE Backlash event is what he needs to give fans what they wanted on a big card: Orton most likely winning.
Backlash airs live on the WWE Network on Sunday, September 11 at 8:00 p.m. EST.
[Image via WWE]