Randy Orton’s physique at Survivor Series after 554 days away from WWE was genuinely insane

Randy Orton’s return was hanging in the balance by the time the main event of this year’s Survivor Series rolled around, but as Rhea Ripley tried to cash in Damian Priest’s Money in the Bank briefcase, Orton’s legendary music hit and The Viper finally had come back to the WWE.

It seemed this day might never come, but as is the legendary status of Randy Orton, he was able to return on the same show as CM Punk and not be overshadowed, and that speaks volumes to how beloved and respected Orton is by both wrestlers and fans alike.

Randy Orton’s absence from WWE

It was back in May of 2022 when Orton was last seen on WWE television, losing to The Usos and dropping the Tag Team Championships in the process. He was written off TV in an angle that saw Roman Reigns and his cousins beat him with steel steps and choke him out, but fans weren’t quite ready for just how long it would take until they could see him again.

It was revealed that Orton would be getting back fusion surgery, and after having surgery, there were reports that people in WWE felt we had seen the last of Randy Orton, with the severity of the injury being so grand, WWE employees felt he’d be very fortunate to be able to wrestle again.

Kurt Angle recently revealed on his podcast that these thoughts were echoed by Randy Orton, who was worried if his back would ever heal. With the duo’s wives being best friends, Kurt Angle and Orton are de facto friends, if not also friends from all their years of wrestling, and Angle mentioned how Orton told him it wasn’t “looking good” regarding healing up.

However, the doubts over a return were squashed earlier this year when it was reported that Randy Orton had been spotted at WWE’s Performance Center, training for a return. Reports that turned out to be true, as Cody Rhodes announced Orton’s return to WWE on Raw, with The Viper showing off his new, somehow improved, jacked physique at Survivor Series this past Saturday.

Images: Randy Orton’s physique on his WWE return

Clearly unfazed by his back fusion surgery, Orton was in full-swing. Doing multiple mid-rope DDTs, and RKOs, the best one being on JD McDonagh, who was launched off the top of the cage into the arms of Orton, who connected an RKO as good as he ever has.

It was clear to see that Randy Orton hadn’t just been recovering from his back surgery, but had clearly been putting work in the gym, as the reaction from the internet was one of amazement at the size of The Viper. Orton has never been in bad shape once in his career, but it was noticeable how much size he had put on, sporting a newer, more jacked version of his previous physique.

Orton gestured to the Chicago crowd at Survivor Series that he would be doing this for “10 more years,” and it is safe to say, with a physique like that at the age of 43, there is no reason why he can’t go even longer than that.