Wrestling
Randy Orton and Alexa Bliss Both Make Long-Awaited In-Ring Returns at WWE Live Event
BY SACNILK
The August 13 WWE Summer Tour stop at SNHU Arena delivered two major comebacks in one night, with both stars stepping back between the ropes for the first time in months. Alexa Bliss teamed with Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton in a six-woman tag match against Fatal Influence's Lainey Reid, Jacy Jayne, and Fallon Henley — and came away with the win. Bliss wrestled with a visible wrap still on her arm, but she'd been medically cleared to compete, marking her first match in over a month. Her previous in-ring appearance came on the July 10 episode of SmackDown, where a brutal attack by Jade Cargill left her with an arm injury and sidelined her from action. Bliss had already reappeared on WWE television the Friday before this event, aiding Flair against Cargill and welcoming newcomer Tatum Paxley to the brand, but August 13 represented her true return to competition. The night's main event saw Randy Orton collide with Cody Rhodes in a street fight, snapping an even longer layoff. Orton hadn't wrestled since falling to Rhodes at WrestleMania 42. He'd since resurfaced during WWE SummerSlam, inserting himself into Rhodes' title picture by costing him the Undisputed WWE Championship — a moment that set the stage for their rivalry to boil back over. The August 13 street fight marked Orton's first match since WrestleMania, putting him right back in the ring with the man he'd targeted since his return. Between Bliss working through a still-healing arm and Orton finally getting back into the ring after months on the shelf, WWE's August 13 stop in Manchester ended up delivering two significant in-ring returns on the same night, giving fans at SNHU Arena a show stacked with fresh storyline momentum heading into the fall.