Why WWE Didn’t Freeze Randy Orton’s Contract Due to Injury

Randy Orton made his highly anticipated return to WWE at Survivor Series in November after a lengthy 10-month absence due to a severe back injury that required fusion surgery. Orton immediately made an impact by competing in the Men’s WarGames Match. Since his return, he has been involved in significant storylines alongside top stars like Logan Paul, The Bloodline, and GUNTHER, reaffirming his place as a major player in WWE. Now, we know why WWE didn’t freeze that deal

Recently, Orton confirmed that he signed a new five-year contract extension. Orton is committed to wrestling for the long haul with WWE. He feels healthy and energized, confident that he has ample time to accomplish his goals, which will see him continue his WWE career until he’s 49 years old.

Although WWE could have added more time to Randy Orton’s deal, they did not. During his Backstage Report podcast, Sean Ross Sapp explained the vibe he got from that situation and why WWE didn’t do that to the Apex Predator.

“This will put him with WWE until the end of 2029. He had signed a 5-year deal in 2019, and we reported this year that if WWE really wanted to then they could have exercised tacking on more time to his contract because of injury time. I asked WWE why that didn’t happen and they said that this is a different world than it was in wrestling than it was 5 years ago, and in general.”

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It was explained that 2019 was a different world with different money going around. AEW was just getting started, and the company also had different agreements when it came to merchandising and television. It was noted that “they feel like it wouldn’t be fair to run that deal,” at least “that’s the vibe I got.”

WWE Superstars are also making a lot more money after Endeavor took over, as it was explained “the money now compared to when they were starting with AEW in 2019, it’s way beyond that now.” That also played into why WWE kept the Viper’s contract going and didn’t freeze it. Now, he will be around for five more years, and he’s making a ton in the process.

What’s your take on WWE changing their landscape like this? Does Endeavor deserve credit for this big move? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

Transcription by Ringside News