Randy Orton to return tonight and set up a SummerSlam match with 40-year-old star? Looking at the chances

Randy Orton has been out of action since last May following a serious back injury that required a major spinal fusion surgery. Despite some retirement scares, Orton is reportedly on the road to recovery and is nearing an in-ring return.

WWE SummerSlam 2023 seems the perfect stage to book such a monumental, much-anticipated return. However, assuming a full recovery and a willing creative team, Triple H could bring back his former Evolution team-mate sooner, as early as SmackDown tonight.

LA Knight, a SmackDown Superstar well over with the fans with his current gimmick, is expected to be featured in a significant angle at The Biggest Party of the Summer.

Per BWE, an announcement will be made on the upcoming episode of the blue brand that will book Knight for SummerSlam.

Per BWE: A LA Knight match and announcement for SummerSlam will be made on #SmackDown tomorrow night twitter.com/i/web/status/1… pic.twitter.com/KOc9RQVsTs

Although there are no definitive and clear indications, our wrestling intuition suggests that Randy Orton may re-emerge on SmackDown to set up a match with LA Knight.

A brand new version of his iconic theme song was recently released, fueling speculation of a massive comeback. Furthermore, Orton may return as a heel, and targeting an overwhelmingly popular figure like Knight is a reliable method of executing the character change.

The 40-year-old SmackDown Superstar is rumored for a sizable push following SummerSlam. A segment with the fourteen-time World Champion may set the tone for that expected development and put him on the map as a major singles star.

WWE fans want Randy Orton to return for a feud with Cody Rhodes

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The most intriguing aspect of Randy Orton's impending possibilities is the myriad of possibilities open to the future WWE Hall of Famer.

In addition to a program with LA Knight, Orton could pick up where he left off by resuming his alliance with Matt Riddle and reuniting RK-Bro. Alternatively, The Viper could betray Riddle to kick-start a feud with The Original Bro.

However, fans seemingly have a strong preference. They want the 14-time World Champion to betray Cody Rhodes. Orton and Rhodes have a storied history together as members of The Legacy in the late 2000s.

Last year, Orton hugged his former Legacy brethren, but The Viper has always had a conflicted character. Thus, we wouldn't be surprised if he were to cost Rhodes a victory over Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.