Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Orton Discusses Uncertainty Regarding WWE Return
After making his return to the ring at Survivor Series, Randy Orton divulged this week that it wasn't always a sure thing that he'd be able to wrestle again.
During an appearance on WWE Superstar and United States champion Logan Paul's Impaulsive podcast (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Orton said he intends to enjoy every moment of his career moving forward since it was nearly taken away from him:
"I just had 18 months off recovering from spinal fusion. I was kind of faced with the fact that I might not be able to do this again. It's almost like I got a second lease on my career here. I'm not going to take a day for granted. Not a second in that ring for granted. Even now, more so than the matches you would have seen a year ago when you first started or a couple years ago, I'm feeling even more in my element now."
Prior to his absence, Orton last wrestled in May 2022, as he and Matt Riddle dropped the Raw Tag Team Championships to The Usos.
WWE ran an injury angle after the match that saw The Usos put Orton through the announce table, allowing him to undergo back surgery.
Updates regarding Orton's status were sparse while he was out of action, and there was at least some question about whether he would be able to come back given the severity of the surgery and the fact that he is 43 years of age.
Despite that, The Viper has picked up where he left off, turning in a spectacular performance at Survivor Series, as he, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Jey Uso and Sami Zayn beat The Judgment Day and Drew McIntyre in a WarGames match.
On last week's episode of SmackDown, Orton made his decision on what brand we would sign with when he agreed to join SmackDown before hitting SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis with an RKO.
It appears as though Orton is in line to feud with The Bloodline, and it could lead to an undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against Roman Reigns at next month's Royal Rumble premium live event.
If that happens, it will signal that Orton is truly back and in the familiar position of being one of WWE's top stars.
Rhodes Reportedly Doing Huge Merchandise Sales
Cody Rhodes has been one of the most beloved figures in WWE since making his return at WrestleMania 38, and his popularity is reportedly continuing to soar.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Carrier), some sources within WWE said Rhodes not only set merchandise sales records in Chicago recently, but shattered the previous records.
WWE held the Survivor Series premium live event in Chicago last month and intensified merchandise sales efforts by opening a temporary superstore while in the city.
While WWE has several stars who are hugely over with fans, including Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, LA Knight, Becky Lynch, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, Bianca Belair, Randy Orton, Rhea Ripley and now CM Punk, Rhodes reportedly outpaced all of them in merch sales.
When Rhodes returned from injury in January of this year to win the Royal Rumble, he was seemingly as hot as he could possibly be, which is why it was surprising when he lost to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.
There was some thought among observers that Rhodes wouldn't be able to maintain that level of popularity for another year, but all numbers and reports suggest he remains as in demand as ever before.
The popular belief is that Rhodes is being built up for a rematch with Reigns at WrestleMania 40, and doing significant merchandise numbers likely only serves to help his cause in that regard.
WWE has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to wrestlers who are over with the crowd, and Rhodes continues to prove why he deserves to be one of the faces of the company.
WWE Reportedly Believes Chances of Signing Okada Have Increased
While New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Kazuchika Okada's future plans remain unknown, WWE reportedly feels it could potentially land him when he becomes a free agent.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE has wanted to sign Okada for quite some time, and the company believes there is a better chance of signing him now than there was previously.
Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated reported this week that Okada's NJPW will expire at the end of January after Wrestle Kingdom.
Okada has spent the vast majority of his career wrestling in Japan, but Barrasso noted that he is "seriously considering" signing elsewhere, such as WWE or AEW.
It can be argued that AEW has a leg up since it has a working relationship with NJPW and can offer him the opportunity to continue wrestling for New Japan at times.
Meanwhile, WWE can offer Okada the chance to become a bigger star than he has ever been before due to the size, scope and popularity of the company.
WWE is supremely popular right now as evidenced by television ratings, ticket sales and the fact that it has been willing to branch out and hold more major events all over the world.
Signing Okada would undoubtedly make WWE even bigger in Japan, and it would give WWE another potential main event player on a roster that is already stacked with them.
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