20-time champion returning from injury to face Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 should happen, says WWE legend

Cody Rhodes' WWE WrestleMania 41 opponent remains undetermined with Jey Uso choosing Gunther as his opponent. While The American Nightmare's dancing partner at The Showcase of Immortals would be the winner of the Men's Elimination Chamber Match, Ric Flair would like to see him lock horns with Randy Orton.

The Apex Predator has been out of action for several months after he was taken out by Kevin Owens with a Piledriver. While Orton's absence was initially storyline-related, it was recently reported that he's off the WWE programming due to some other reasons.

While there is no timeline for the 20-time champion's return, Ric Flair noted during a recent interview that he would like to see his former stablemate clash with Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41.

"I’d like to see Randy Orton and Cody. Randy is still the best worker in the business." [From 14:00 - 14:09]

WWE had been teasing Orton going after The American Nightmare for a long time. Many had expected The Legend Killer to turn on his best friend on the road to WrestleMania. However, it seems like Randy's prolonged absence has led to a change in plans.

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Ex-WWE employee believes Cody Rhodes will lose the title to John Cena

John Cena came up short at Royal Rumble as he was the last person to be eliminated from the 30-man Rumble match. However, The Cenation Leader made it clear after the show that he was coming for his 17th world title and would win the Elimination Chamber match to book his WrestleMania 41 spot.

With Jey Uso vs. Gunther already made official, John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes looks to be the likely direction for the WWE Championship. The company's former employee, Tommy Carlucci, noted that he could see The Cenation Leader dethrone The American Nightmare.

"I think Cena is gonna win the title. And remember when Cena cut that promo that I'm gonna win the 17th until somebody gets it for the 18th. I think Drew is gonna be that guy at SummerSlam that's gonna beat John Cena and be that champ that he's gonna hand the title over to. And I can see an angle down the line between Punk and Drew down the line during the summer," Carlucci said.

Cena has not been seen since the Royal Rumble loss. He was directly given a place in the Men's Elimination Chamber Match while others have been competing in qualifying matches.