Three weeks ago, it was reported that Randy Orton did not appear on Monday Night Raw at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Although it is still unclear as to whether Bray Wyatt was directly responsible for The Viper’s absence that night, as initial speculation indicated, WWE.com can now confirm that Orton’s injuries are significant, and will keep him from stepping into a WWE ring for an extended period of time.

“Randy has suffered from a dislocated shoulder. He’s had chronic problems with his shoulder, and a recent MRI that was done found he has a Bankart lesion in his shoulder, some stretched ligaments and a partially torn rotator cuff,” WWE physician Dr. Steve Daquino told WWE.com. “At this point it’s a matter of when he dislocates the shoulder again, and not if. It looks like he might require surgery, and recovery time for such a surgery would be four to six months.”

Stay with WWE.com as more details on Orton’s condition become available.