WATCH: Cody Rhodes kills CM Punk return rumors by revealing Randy Orton as the 5th member for the WarGames match at Survivor Series

Cody Rhodes debunked the rumors of CM Punk's return at Survivor Series by announcing Randy Orton's return.

WATCH: Cody Rhodes kills CM Punk return rumors by revealing Randy Orton as the 5th member for the WarGames match at Survivor Series

Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and CM Punk (via X)

This week’s Monday Night Raw saw some pivotal moments leading up to the Survivor Series. The story throughout the show was all about the fifth member of Team Rhodes for the WarGames match. The closing moments of the show saw Cody Rhodes make a huge announcement. He officially confirmed the much-anticipated return of Randy Orton.

The main event of the show featured Drew McIntyre taking on Jey Uso for the WarGames advantage. After Drew came out victorious, he, along with The Judgment Day, laid a vicious attack on Jey. Cody Rhodes came to save the day, leading him to tease The Viper’s return. Further, the crowd started chanting Randy’s name, forcing Cody to make it official for the Survivor Series.

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In the opening segment of Monday Night Raw, Adam Pearce asked Team Rhodes to find a fifth member until the end of the night. Many fans started speculating CM Punk as the fifth member of the team. However, WWE slew these rumors after Cody Rhodes openly named Randy Orton as the fifth participant of their team for the WarGames match.

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Randy Orton is all set to return after a long hiatus of more than one and a half years. It is going to be interesting to see the dynamics of Team Rhodes from here on out. The WarGames match this Saturday will mark the first battle for the Apex Predator after he lost his Tag Team Titles against The Usos on SmackDown last year.

Why WWE announced the return of Randy Orton before Survivor Series?

WWE unexpectedly announced the return of the Apex Predator on Monday Night Raw this week. This unusual move raised many questions in the minds of the fans as to why WWE spoiled one of the biggest returns of the year by announcing it prior to the event. The possible reason behind such a bold move might be to debunk the rumors of CM Punk’s return.

Randy Orton
Randy Orton (via X)

The potential reason for Randy’s return announcement might be to avoid the CM Punk chants at Survivor Series. WWE knows very well that a surprise return for the event might induce fans to hijack the show with CM Punk chants. It would result in laying off a disappointed reaction for the return of Apex Predator.

This way, WWE managed to avoid any kind of disappointment for the fans heading up to the Survivor Series. The show is all set to take place at the Allstate Arena, Chicago, which happens to be the hometown of the Second City Saint. The crowd might go berserk amid the rumors of the return of the Second City Saint at Survivor Series.

Although, it is yet unclear if Punk will return to WWE this Saturday. However, it is going to be interesting to see the reaction Orton receives when he walks down the ramp for his first match after more than one and a half years.

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