There were a lot of rumors going around after Randy Orton missed out on the recent WWE tour of Europe, but there were actually a number of legitimate reasons for his absence. First of all, Orton is no longer working a full-time schedule for the company and he was never meant to go on the U.K. tour, but it appears there is more to it. The former WWE Champion actually had knee surgery recently which is going to keep him out of the ring for at least two months.
WWE’s recent European tour had many fans wondering why Randy Orton wasn’t present as he had been in the mix for the United States Championship. Jeff Hardy currently holds the title, but Orton had it as recently as WrestleMania 34 where he lost it in a Fatal 4-Way Match to Jinder Mahal.
Bobby Roode and Rusev were also in that match.
As reported by Sportskeeda , though, Orton didn’t miss the tour for disciplinary reasons or anything like that. He hasn’t been working WWE live events for a while now, and he’s been on a limited schedule for more than a year since he is approaching 40-years-old and also has a family at home.
While the limited schedule explains that absence, his knee surgery will explain the extended time away.
The official website of WWE actually revealed that Randy Orton had successful surgery to repair a medial meniscus tear in his left knee. Orton is recovering at home, but he is looking forward to coming back to SmackDown Live after he has fully healed.
“I’ve known I needed the surgery since late last year, but I’ve been waiting for the right time to get my knee cleaned out. Right now was the right time.”
WWE did not reveal much more as far as the details of the surgery or just how long Orton would be out, but that info is still out there. According to Wrestling Inc. , the former world champion is going to be out of the ring for around two months , but he’ll be back in time to build up to SummerSlam in August. After a rather successful and busy United States Championship picture and the necessary work on his knee, Orton deserves the rest.