WWE replaces injured superstar with Randy Orton on SmackDown banner
WWE has replaced an injured WWE Superstar with Randy Orton on the SmackDown banner.
Randy Orton returned to the company last month at Survivor Series 2023. The Viper had been out of action since the May 20, 2022, edition of SmackDown with a back injury. He returned to help Cody Rhodes' team defeat The Judgment Day in the Men's WarGames match at Survivor Series. The Legend Killer has since signed with SmackDown to get revenge on The Bloodline for taking him out last year.
Charlotte Flair recently went down with a serious injury and will be out of action for the foreseeable future. The former champion suffered a torn ACL, meniscus, and MCL on the December 8 episode of WWE SmackDown.
Ringside News pointed out that WWE replaced Charlotte Flair with Randy Orton on the SmackDown banner on their official website. Orton has already made it known that he wants a shot at Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and will likely be one of the main stars on the blue brand on the road to WrestleMania 40.
Bill Apter wants to see Randy Orton end Gunther's title reign in WWE
Legendary wrestling journalist Bill Apter has suggested an interesting storyline for Randy Orton.
Gunther captured the Intercontinental Championship from Ricochet in June 2022. The Ring General broke The Honky Tonk Man's record as the longest-reigning IC Champion in history in September 2023, and there seemingly is no end to his title reign in sight. The Imperium leader successfully defended the title against The Miz at Survivor Series and again this past Monday night on RAW.
Speaking on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine podcast, Bill Apter was asked who he thought could defeat the Intercontinental Champion. Apter suggested Orton and noted that the two superstars are currently on different brands.
"Well I said this on UnSKripted. And I know people yell at me, 'Hey Apter, don't you watch these shows? This guy is on this brand...' There are ways to switch brands if they wanna do it. To me, Randy Orton is the guy that has to do that. Perfect match in my opinion." [From 0:50 onwards]
You can check out the video below:
Charlotte Flair's injury came at a terrible time, as Royal Rumble 2024 is just around the corner. It will be interesting to see when Flair will be able to return to the ring down the line.
Would you like to see Orton battle Reigns for the title at Royal Rumble 2024? Let us know in the comments section below.