He may not be a full-time superstar anymore, but Randy Orton still continues to excite the WWE Universe on a weekly basis.

It doesn't feel so long ago that Orton was the top heel in the business with a vicious side to him, but that was 10 years ago now and whilst the PG Era may have forced him to lose that psychotic edge, he can still play either a face or heel very well indeed.

Recently Orton has only appeared sporadically but has been in feuds with the likes of AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy in the last year, and seems to have more time off away from the ring than anyone currently on the active roster - although he has paid his dues over the years.

The last time we saw Orton on WWE programming was when he faced Triple H in Saudi Arabia at Super ShowDown, a match no-one really expected to see in 2019.

After defeating someone like The Game, you'd imagine Orton would be in a prominent role on SmackDown with the momentum that would have given him.

But his absence has been very conspicuous in recent weeks, and Fightful have got to the bottom of the very reason.

Orton's last appearance was just three days after Super ShowDown, where he faced Aleister Black at a live event.

It's thought that in this match he jarred his neck, which forced WWE to give him an extended recuperation having already been scheduled for some time off.

It won't be the first time The Viper has suffered from neck issues.

Orton had to undergo an operation to remove bone spurs from his neck in late 2015, and that was after he was already recovering from shoulder surgery - he ended up being on the sidelines for over nine months in the end.

This latest problem may be nothing to worry about in the long term, but neck issues in wrestlers are not to be taken lightly at all.

Various wrestlers have had to retire due to neck injuries, more recently the likes of Paige and Edge, and with the amount of years Orton has been plying his trade for, lets hope his neck is not a ticking time-bomb waiting to explode.