WWE Grand Slam Champion set to return to SmackDown after a prolonged hiatus of nearly 18 months

Seemingly enjoying being a free agent, The Apex Predator is all set to show up on SmackDown.

WWE Grand Slam Champion set to return to SmackDown after a prolonged hiatus of nearly 18 months

WWE legend returning to SmackDown [via- USA Network on X]

On the first SmackDown following an earth-shattering Survivor Series, WWE is looking to keep the viewers engaged. This past Monday night on Raw, CM Punk marked his first appearance on the red brand in almost a decade. Meanwhile, for this Friday, the company is once again loading up the card. The 14-time World Champion Randy Orton is scheduled to appear.

Initially, WWE ran a hype video package teasing the next chapter in Damage CTRL‘s saga after their tough loss at last Saturday’s WarGames match. Furthermore, United States Champion Logan Paul will make his first WWE appearance since ousting Rey Mysterio for the gold at Crown Jewel. The company is advertising that Paul will look to open his account for challengers.

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It appears like adding Randy Orton to the show was a late decision from WWE. The announcement didn’t initially come from the company’s social media handles; instead, the Barclays Center, home to this week’s SmackDown, let the cat out of its bag. It will be Orton’s first WWE appearance on Fox since May 2022. In the last match he had, the 43-year-old and Matt Riddle lost their tag team gold to The Usos.

This week’s show in Brooklyn could be extremely pivotal in terms of how things are going to be on SmackDown en route to the Royal Rumble. Former NWA Champion and current general manager of SmackDown, Nick Aldis, has also expressed immense pride after getting the opportunity to host The Apex Predator. But why’s Randy Orton traveling to New York City? Well, he’s going there with vengeance in mind, and things might get very interesting.

Why Randy Orton is going to SmackDown?

On this week’s Raw, The Viper knew what would be his immediate goal in WWE. As a result, he affirmed that he’s got a receipt for each and every member of The Bloodline, which is why Randy was sidelined for a long time. It’s quite possible that Orton will call out Roman Reigns when he arrives on SmackDown.

Randy Orton
Randy Orton returns to SmackDown [via- Barclays Center on X]

As of now, The Tribal Chief isn’t advertised for any of the remaining WWE shows this year. But before even getting to the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, The Apex Predator would have to penetrate through Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso, and Paul Heyman.

The plan seems to be to have Roman Reigns defend his title against Randy Orton at next year’s Royal Rumble event. However, WWE has almost a couple of months to go until then. In the meantime, The Viper could tee off with the rest of The Bloodline.

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