The former IWGP United States champion and group member alongside Jay White and Austin and Colton Gunn has been sidelined since last November, when he suffered a broken fibula during the Continental Classic tournament.

Randy Orton, as he previously shared, was expecting to challenge Cody Rhodes at Backlash for the Undisputed WWE Championship. However, John Cena defeated The American Nightmare to win the title at WrestleMania 41.

Cody Rhodes has not appeared in WWE since he was surprisingly defeated by John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 41 'Night 2'. 'The American Nightmare' - which had been unstoppable in the last year to become the symbolic face of the company - was literally dominated by the leader of the 'Cenation' in the most important event of the season and Travis Scott's interference during the contest did not help him.

With John Cena surpassing Ric Flair’s record 16 world title reigns at WrestleMania last month, Randy Orton is determined to make a little history of his own in the main event of WWE Backlash Saturday,

Fresh off winning the Undisputed WWE Championship, John Cena defends his title during WWE Backlash on Saturday (May 10).

Fans looking to watch SmackDown this week can do so for free using a free trial offered by DirecTV Stream. Also, Sling offers a solid first-month discount to new users. SmackDown will take place on May 9, 2025 at 7:30pm ET.