Backstage News On Randy Orton's WWE Return

WWE are said to be happy with the recently-returned Randy Orton so far, according to a report by Fightful Select, which states:

"We're told WWE has been happy with Orton's return, his conditioning, and his performance thus far."

Orton returned to action at WWE Survivor Series WarGames, before appearing on the following night's episode of Raw. However, the latest edition of SmackDown saw the Viper become a member of the blue brand's roster, tempted by GM Nick Aldis' offer of revenge against the Bloodline (the stable who, in kayfabe, were responsible for Randy's lengthy injury break.)

Earlier in the same segment, he was attacked by the group (minus an absent Roman Reigns) only to turn the tables with the help of LA Knight. Fightful Select's report also suggests that a feud with the Bloodline is the intended direction going ahead - and perhaps specifically a clash with Roman Reigns, given that Michael Hayes is currently producing Orton's TV segments:

"On both WWE Raw and WWE Smackdown in the past week, Michael Hayes was producing segments for Randy Orton. This is of particular importance because while he's been off WWE TV for weeks, all of Roman Reigns' segments, and things directly related to what he's involved in are also produced by Hayes. The majority of the Bloodline-contingent stories have had Hayes as the producer."

Although Reigns was not on the SmackDown episode, Orton mockingly told Paul Heyman to call the Tribal Chief and warn him.