Bengaluru, July 24: Randy Orton returned to WWE at the Extreme Rules PPV event. He was out of action since the Backlash PPV due to a knee injury. After spending more than 15 years in the WWE, he has picked up a number of injuries including this one which needed surgery in Birmingham, Alabama to fix the issue.

After a hiatus of almost three months, he was back as a transitioned character. Over the years, we have learned that The Viper can be sadistic more than anyone in that locker room. This time around, he targeted Jeff Hardy which was totally uncalled for. He delivered a kick to the groin of Hardy to tease a heel turn.

It was further cemented with a vicious attack on Hardy on this past edition of Smackdown. The former US Champion suffered a massive beatdown at the hands of Randy Orton for the second show in a row. His chance of regaining the title also went in vain as the referee disqualified the match. Apparently, there's a big reason why this assault happened.

The reliable user TicketDraw has revealed in his Twitter account that Jeff Hardy is set to take 'some much needed time off'. It was just a storyline angle on Smackdown Live to sideline him from the upcoming shows. The top Smackdown star will not be available for this year's Summerslam PPV.

Cagesideseats.com also reported the same in their report suggesting that is was purposefully done by the creative team to give some time-off to the concerned superstar. The Charismatic Enigma is dealing with a back injury for a long time. He was not using the Swanton Bomb on the house shows for the same reason.



He himself acknowledged his body giving troubles in a recent interview with Canton Repository,

“Your guess is as good as mine. I think it has to do with hope, faith and a lot of luck. Matt always says, 'It’s just incredible. You’re one of these guys that do this insane stuff, and here you are 40 years into your life still giving them a little bit of that.’ The toll has been rough at times."

Plus, a nerve concussion was also giving him troubles forcing to miss some of the Smackdown episodes in the recent past. These are just the side-effects from his career that is going on for more than two decades in the pro-wrestling business. Hopefully, he can overcome the issues really quick and make a strong comeback, as soon as possible.