Freddie Prinze Jr. was full of praise for Randy Orton’s return to WWE.
Survivor Series on November 25th saw Randy Orton step inside a WWE ring for the first time in 18 months. Ahead of the event, Cody Rhodes revealed that Orton would be the fifth member of his team, working opposite The Judgment Day inside WarGames.
Orton helped his team to victory on the night, and speaking on the latest edition of Wrestling With Freddie, former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. marveled at Orton’s condition, saying he looked younger now than he did a decade ago. He compared the star’s progress to David Fincher’s 2008 film The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.
“He like Benjamin Button’d himself. He legit looked 10 years younger than he did when he got hurt and he looked phenomenal.”
How Long Was Randy Orton Away From WWE?
Prior to his return at Survivor Series, Orton hadn’t been seen in WWE since the May 20th episode of SmackDown when he and then-partner Matt Riddle lost their Raw Tag Team Championships in a unification match against The Usos.
After the match, Orton and Riddle were beaten down by The Bloodline and the former World Champion disappeared from television afterward. Details around Orton’s absence remained thin on the ground but it was reported that he was struggling with a back injury that had been progressively worse.
In November, it was reported that The Viper had undergone fusion surgery on his lower back which would leave him unable to return to the ring for an “extended period”. His father, Bob Orton, later provided an update saying his son was “coming along.”
h/t WrestlingInc