Randy Orton Lights up SmackDown in RKO-Loaded Return Before Confronting Cody Rhodes with a Warning

Randy Orton is back on WWE television after a three-month absence. He dropped The Miz with a couple of RKOs to kick off the first SmackDown of 2026.

Randy Orton Lights up SmackDown in RKO-Loaded Return Before Confronting Cody Rhodes with a Warning

Randy Orton returned to SmackDown [via- WWE]

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After having last appeared on the 10/3 edition of SmackDown last year, Randy Orton finally made his long-awaited WWE return on the first blue brand taping of 2026 in Buffalo. ‘The Apex Predator’ interrupted The Miz midway into his promo when the latter was rambling about his grievances from 2025.

‘The A-Lister’ was upset about not getting to be a part of the John Cena retirement tour. His second grievance was the lack of respect from any up-and-coming star he tried taking under his wing. Last but not least, the former WWE Champion also claimed that he was passed over for the lead role of Marty Supreme, which was ultimately landed by Timothée Chalamet.

Miz then labeled himself as the gatekeeper to WWE and the adult in the locker room that’s filled with little spoiled brats.

Orton’s music hit next, and it sent the crowd into a frenzy. ‘The Viper’ dapped up with The Miz, who said it was great to have Orton back on SmackDown. Miz hailed himself and Orton as the locker room leaders and the true faces of WWE. ‘The Awesome One’ eventually flirted with the idea of forming a tag team with ‘The Legend Killer’, for which he pitched Miz-KO as the name.

After the crowd didn’t quite take too kindly to it, Randy Orton dropped Miz with a thunderous RKO, and he made it two after the fans chanted “one more time.” That wasn’t it for Orton for the night. In fact, he later ran into Cody Rhodes backstage. The Undisputed WWE Champion was glad to see his mentor-cum-friend back.

The St. Louis-born wrestling great, however, had his eyes peeled on the lustrous title belt resting on Rhodes’ shoulder. Orton told his former Legacy stablemate that he’d be next in line for the WWE Championship once ‘The American Nightmare’ settles his differences with Drew McIntyre in next week’s Three Stages of Hell match on SmackDown.

Rhodes is in hot water even if he somehow retains his title against McIntyre, as Orton has made his intentions crystal clear about chasing gold.

Damian Priest puts Aleister Black away in an Ambulance match on SmackDown

The main event of this week’s SmackDown saw the culmination of a long-standing rivalry between Damian Priest and Aleister Black. They went hard at each other in an Ambulance match. In one of the spots from the bout, Priest got his lick back on Black by catching the latter off guard with a fireball to his face. That’s how the Dutch wrestler had previously defeated the former Judgment Day member in Perth.

Damian Priest throwing Aleister Black into the ambulance on SmackDown
Damian Priest throwing Aleister Black into the ambulance on SmackDown [via- WWE]

The former World Heavyweight Champion also put Black through Razor’s Edge on the windshield of the ambulance. Black’s wife and on-screen partner, Zelina Vega, also played a factor in the match but got neutralized by Rhea Ripley. The closing spot was Priest pushing Black from the top of the ambulance down through a table.

‘The Punisher’ then put the erstwhile Malakai Black into the ambulance and shut every door to ensure the latter couldn’t escape. And just like that, WWE has seemingly closed the book on this rivalry, which a major chunk of the audience felt had overstayed its welcome.

It’d be interesting to see what’s next for both Priest and Black, even though their spots in the 30-man Royal Rumble match are the next obvious move that WWE is expected to pull off.

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