WWE Smackdown 12/1/2023: What happened when Randy Orton made his long-awaited return to Friday night?

“The Viper” Randy Orton made his long-awaited return to Friday nights this week, with the Survivor Series WarGames winner making an appearance on the most recent episode of WWE Smackdown. Joining Smackdown and RAW General Managers, Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce, in the ring, the topic of which brand Orton would sign to was addressed to close the show.

During the segment, Pearce - who represents Raw - stated that he would offer the winner of the Seth Rollins vs. Jey Uso match to Randy Orton. Meanwhile, Aldis, the general manager of Smackdown, mentioned that he would provide Orton with the individuals who attacked him. Suddenly, Roman Reigns' advisor, Paul Heyman, entered the arena and declared that Randy Orton would not make any decisions tonight because The Bloodline would do it for him. Shortly after, The Bloodline’s Solo Solo & Jimmy Uso attacked Orton, and when LA Knight arrived, he joined the fight. In the end, Orton delivered an RKO to Jimmy and signed with SmackDown. He told Heyman to inform Roman that he was back - and then RKO’d SmackDown’s GM Nick Aldis because it’s Randy Orton at the end of the day.

Logan Paul is challenging all of his critics to step inside the ring, as the current WWE United States champion has been working harder and winning more as the number of people hoping for his failure increases. Several envious superstars desire to win the title, but it has been on Logan's radar since he joined. He has collaborated with Nick Aldis to develop a tournament that will determine his next opponent. The list of potential challengers includes Santos Escobar, Dragon Lee, Karrion Kross, a contestant from NXT, Bobby Lashley, Grayson Waller, Austin Theory, and Kevin Owens.

During a conversation, Paul expressed his belief that whoever fights Logan Paul in the ring will have a nightmare, leading Kevin Owens to make his way down to the ring. Owens mentioned that he had seen Logan on Vine a few years ago and had immediately found him unbearable. According to Owens, all Logan does now is promote his stupid drink. Logan reminded Owens that he had previously gone up against the best boxer in the world and that it would take less than six seconds for him to knock Paul out. However, their conversation was interrupted by Grayson Waller and Austin Theory. 

Grayson commented that KO was just a troll and not a forward-thinking disruptor like the three of them. Theory pointed out that KO was across from Logan Paul, who was known for knocking people out. Theory suggested that KO's days of punching people in the face may be over, but KO socked him in the face, interrupting their conversation and leading to a match between Owens and Grayson Waller. 

Quick results for WWE Smackdown’s December 1 2023 episode

• Bobby Lashley defeated Butch
• Santos Escobar defeated Joaquin Wilde
• Kevin Owens defeated Grayson Waller
• Bianca Belair defeated Kairi Sane

Where can I watch the WWE in the United Kingdom?

TNT Sports is the official home of the WWE on TV in the United Kingdom, with episodes of WWE NXT, WWE Raw and WWE Smackdown available to catch up on demand