Former AEW star facing Randy Orton in his first match back in WWE in nearly 5 years, predicts veteran; in a WrestleMania 41 scenario

By Varun Anand Bhat

Modified Apr 06, 2025 12:50 GMT

Randy Orton clicked during his entrance [Image via wwe.com] — Randy Orton walking to the ring [Image via wwe.com]

WWE legend and SmackDown's top superstar Randy Orton is left without an opponent for WrestleMania 41 which will take place in Las Vegas in less than three weeks. While many fans are speculating about potential opponents for Orton, a wrestling veteran has picked an ex-AEW star to face The Viper. This was suggested by James Ellsworth.

At WrestleMania 41, Orton was scheduled to face his arch-rival Kevin Owens. However, on the blue brand's latest episode, Owens revealed he had to undergo neck surgery. This surgery meant Owens would not be able to compete at The Show of Shows, thus leaving Orton without an opponent.

Veteran grappler Ellsworth predicted that former AEW star Miro will return to the Stamford-based promotion to face the 14-time world champion. On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Ellsworth wrote:

"#NickAldis hires.. #Rusev to take #KevinOwens place against … #RandyOrton at .. #WrestleMania … Is my prediction. Thoughts? #SmackDown."

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Check out Ellsworth's tweet below:

Expand Tweet

Monday Night RAW Superstar has expressed his desire to face Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41

Now that Kevin Owens has been ruled out of WrestleMania 41, the question is who could replace him? After Owens' withdrawal from the bout was confirmed by the Canadian himself, RAW Superstar Karrion Kross expressed his desire to face The Viper.

On X, Kross sent a message to his followers and wrote that he saw their tags on their social media posts. He also added he would say yes to a match against Orton.

Kross wrote:

"Just letting you all know that I see the tags. And you know I’d say yes. Let’s see what happens. ⏳"

Check out Kross' tweet below:

Expand Tweet

A match between Randy Orton and Karrion Kross could be interesting to watch. What makes this potential bout interesting is the fact that Orton and Kross have never shared the ring together yet. It will be worth watching how their respective styles would come together at a grand event like WrestleMania.

About the author

Varun is a Golf and WWE journalist for Sportskeeda with over 4 years of work experience in his bag. Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he worked for many sites, including EssentiallySports, FanSided, Khel Now, Get Football, and a few others.

Varun is a fan of golfer Scottie Scheffler due to the latter’s mindset, and he admires Roman Reigns’ ability to keep moving forward in life regardless of any obstacles. As a purist golf fan, he would love to compete at the Masters if given the opportunity, but is also happy with LIV Golf driving more eyeballs towards the sport. If he could go back in time and be a manager for someone in the WWE, it would have been Big Show.

Varun’s mantra for writing factually correct feature articles is thorough verification. Another key element in his writing is staying updated with both sports through the official websites of pro wrestling and Golf. He has had the privilege of interviewing MMA legend Greg Jackson in his career so far.

Varun likes to spend his free time reading or writing poetry and fiction. He also plans to learn and play golf in his spare time.

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Edited by Harish Raj S