WWE could soon receive a significant boost to its roster, with reports indicating that both Randy Orton and Kevin Owens are nearing their long awaited returns to television.

According to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reports that Orton and Owens are both expected back "very soon," with Orton's return potentially happening as early as next week.

Meltzer believes Orton could immediately find himself back in the Undisputed WWE Championship picture, either by reigniting his rivalry with Cody Rhodes or beginning a new feud with CM Punk. With Punk set to defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Rhodes in the Night One main event of SummerSlam, a surprise appearance from "The Viper" could dramatically alter the title landscape.

Meltzer wrote:

"Orton and Owens are both expected to be returning very soon, Orton perhaps in the next week. Owens has dropped weight after a lengthy and frustratingly long recovery from neck surgery. Orton was one of those guys who claimed he wasn’t injured and just taking the summer off, but in fact he was injured. He was actually scheduled to beat Rhodes at Mania unless they felt his back was going to not allow it. When they realized that was the case, all kinds of plans were changed. The door was clearly left open to Rhodes vs. Orton at Mania, so I could see Orton screwing Rhodes or Punk to keep the other out of the WWE title picture because there is no reason for him to return now unless it’s to work with one of those two, and Rhodes being the more likely one would think."

Orton has not wrestled since his WrestleMania 42 loss to Cody Rhodes in April. During that match, commentary referenced a back issue, although Orton later downplayed the injury on social media, joking that he was simply enjoying the summer before returning to pursue his 15th world championship.

Kevin Owens has been absent from in ring competition for considerably longer. The former Universal Champion has spent more than a year recovering from neck surgery, causing him to miss the past two WrestleManias. During his recovery, Owens remained visible through WWE projects, serving as a coach on Season 3 of WWE LFG and making appearances in several WWE digital exclusives alongside Sami Zayn, Becky Lynch, and on Club WWE with Kit Wilson.

Owens' last match took place in March 2025, meaning he has now been out of action for more than 16 months. However, Meltzer noted that Owens has lost weight during his recovery, suggesting he is moving closer to an in ring comeback.