Folks, the Viper has slithered his way back to WWE SmackDown, and what a return it was! Randy Orton, fresh off his disappointing loss at Bash in Berlin, made sure to remind everyone that you just don’t count him out. Not only did he return to thunderous applause, but he also teamed up with Kevin Owens to take down Austin Theory and Grayson Waller. Spoiler alert: it involved a Stunner, an RKO, and the Seattle crowd losing their collective minds.
The night started with Kevin Owens in a bit of a pickle, as he was set to face the duo of Theory and Waller without a confirmed partner. Enter Ricky Gibson of Midnight Heat—cue crickets, because the crowd gave him less love than WWE fans give rematches. Owens, ever the diplomat, said his actual partner had travel issues, leaving Ricky to fill in. For about 45 seconds. Then, news hit that Owens’ preferred partner had arrived, and in a moment that surprised no one except maybe Ricky himself, Owens thanked him by delivering a swift Stunner. Oops.
But the real fireworks went off when Randy Orton’s music hit. The Apex Predator returned to SmackDown, stepping into the ring with Owens to take on Theory and Waller, who must have known they were about to get schooled. From there, it was a classic beatdown—Theory and Waller had their fun early, including a trip to the announcer’s table, but as they say in WWE: it’s not over until the RKO hits. Owens landed his signature Stunner on Theory, while Orton delivered a beautiful RKO on Waller that practically shook the ring. The crowd? Absolutely lost it. Orton pinned Waller, and the blue brand ended the night with Orton’s hand raised, signaling the beginning of a new chapter.
Randy’s back, and the message is clear: he’s still a major player, and you can bet that RKO’s will be flying like champagne corks on New Year’s Eve.