Randy Orton wrestling in TNA by Christmas? Let's not get carried away just yet, but the notion is a lot more plausible today than it was two weeks ago.
After it was announced that Orton would serve a 60 day suspension for violating WWE's wellness program, reports began to surface indicating that the company was considering parting ways with "The Apex Predator."
At first the move seems extreme. The roster was thin enough at the main event level before Orton's forced break. In fact, Smackdown! Is now relying on Raw stars to carry its tours. But 2012 has been a mild year for Orton, who seemed to fizzle as a face character after his feud with CM Punk.
Thanks to a legitimate injury this past winter, Orton was unable to be a part of the World Heavyweight Title picture heading into WrestleMania. His woes arguably continued when he lost a relatively low key match at the annual event to Kane.
Through the spring and early summer, Orton remained out of both major title hunts despite the fact that the company's other top star, John Cena, was also taking time away from the championship spotlight.
It is reported that WWE officials see cutting Orton as a smart money move and there may be logic to their reasoning. Despite being a superstar in which they have heavily invested themselves in for over a decade, Orton was unable to draw the numbers that the WWE would have liked to Smackdown!. Consider that this is now technically his third suspension worthy offense and the idea of losing more depth might become addition by subtraction.
If Orton is released in the coming days or weeks, it isn't likely to signal the end of his time in WWE. With TNA still unable to grow into a substantially larger product, Orton will be looking to return to the bigger stage in a couple of years' time. We all know what prominent superstar returns do to WWE's ratings. At that point, there may be room for Orton once more in the title hunt.
