Backstage Update On Randy Orton's WWE Contract Following 18 Month Injury

After 18 months on the sidelines due to a double back fusion surgery, Randy Orton returned to the ring at WWE Survivor Series WarGames, and it appears there is a chance that he could be getting his contract extended by the company. 

Orton originally signed a five-year deal back in 2019, which would likely expire in the Fall of next year, giving him around a year left. However, due to his lengthy absence from the ring, WWE has the option to extend his contract for the time he spent off, and according to Fightful Select "a higher-up" within the company said they, "would be surprised" if the company didn't extend it.

This is something WWE has done plenty of times when talent has been sidelined for a prolonged period, and according to the report there is "a distinct possibility" of this being tagged to Orton's contract. If this does happen, it would extend his current run with WWE until 2026 at the earliest, but it hasn't officially happened yet, even though it is expected. There have been occasions where adding time onto people's contracts hasn't been possible as they did work on other projects. However, that isn't believed to be the case as it relates to Orton, but that is expected to "be evaluated."

After making his return to WWE, Orton teased the idea of him sticking around for another 10 years to the fans in attendance. Therefore, the idea of continuing to compete in WWE for longer doesn't appear to be a problem for the "Viper."