Fans shouldn’t expect to see Randy Orton return and perform inside of a WWE ring anytime soon due to a back injury.

The former WWE Champion has been out of action since late May when he and RKBro teammate Matt Riddle dropped the Raw Tag Team Championships to The Usos, who were the SmackDown Tag Team Champions and now Unified Champions. WWE later wrote him off television in an attack angle.

At the time, Orton reportedly had a “significant” injury, and was expected out for a few months and then later the rest of the year.

Randy Orton has undergone a fusion in his lower back that would keep him out of action for an extended period of time, according to Fightful Select. The surgery has happened, although the exact date it happened is unknown.

Orton’s wife recently posted a photo of him in a hospital bed, which got fans concerned about the timeframe for his return.

WWE sources told Fightful that they’d be fortunate to have him back after such a long career and the significance of the injury and when he was initially injured, Orton insisted he would eventually return.

Randy Orton remains under contract with WWE through 2024, although the company could ‘freeze’ the contract due to his prolonged hiatus.