John Cena, Cody Rhodes headline Wrestlemania 41 in Las Vegas
Jordan Mendoza breaks down all the exciting matches to expect from Wrestlemania 41 in Las Vegas.
Will “The Viper” be at WrestleMania 41?
Thirteen matches have been determined for WWE’s big event, but there’s one notable omission from the card: Randy Orton. The decorated WWE star was scheduled to end a months long feud with Kevin Owens at WrestleMania, but plans went sideways when Owens announced he had a severe neck injury and needed surgery, resulting in the match being canceled.
Not only did the unfortunate news call off a much anticipated match, it was a big blow for Orton’s WrestleMania plans. Now with the event just days away, Orton is still without a match. Could something happen quickly to ensure he gets one, or will he be scrapped from the show?
Who will Randy Orton face at WrestleMania 41?
Currently, Orton is scheduled to not face anyone at WrestleMania 41.
After the news of Owens’ injury, Orton delivered an RKO to SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis in frustration. On the April 11 episode of SmackDown, Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga came out to scold Orton about not having a match. Sikoa and Tonga then competed with Orton and LA Knight in a tag team match, which was won by Orton and Knight.
What Randy Orton has said about WrestleMania 41
Orton talked about WrestleMania 41 with Complex and acknowledge how important a match this year would be for him. It would be his 20th WrestleMania match, the third-most in WWE history.
“I’m staying optimistic, Orton said. “It’s hard for me to even say this, but I think that the star power that Randy Orton has in the professional wrestling world or bubble or whatever you want to call it. I think that it would be a shame if I wasn’t somehow put in a position where I can at least hit an RKO at WrestleMania.
“My hopes would be that we are able to make some sense of something and get people invested.”
Orton also said his heart breaks for Owens due to his injury.
Randy Orton WrestleMania 41 possible opponents
With such little time left to find a replacement for Orton, there are two options for Orton at WrestleMania. Given the events of SmackDown on April 11, Sikoa is a likely opponent for Orton. Sikoa had a big 2024 to propel himself as a singles competitor, and he has history with Orton given the feud with The Bloodline last year. With neither competitor having a scheduled match, it makes sense to quickly put them on the card together.
A wild card option for Orton to face at WrestleMania is Aldis, given the frustration Orton has had with him over not having an opponent. A wrestler for nearly 20 years, Aldis was an accomplished star in TNA before he had his last match in 2023. Since then, he’s been in the producer and general manager role in WWE for SmackDown, but he could make a one-off return to the ring as a competitor to give Orton a stern challenge.