Randy Orton to face 38-year-old at WrestleMania 41, Eric Bischoff predicts

Modified Apr 12, 2025 18:13 GMT

14-time WWE world champion Randy Orton [Image Credit: wwe.com]

Randy Orton does not have an opponent for WrestleMania 41 after Kevin Owens pulled out of the event due to a serious neck injury. With a week to go until The Show of Shows, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff thinks Nick Aldis is the right man to replace Owens.

Aldis wrestled for TNA from 2008 to 2015 before appearing in the NWA between 2017 and 2022. The 38-year-old has performed as SmackDown's General Manager since 2023 after initially joining WWE as a producer.

On his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff immediately replied with Aldis' name when asked to name Randy Orton's possible new WrestleMania 41 opponent:

"Nick because there's a story. You've got an inciting incident, which is the first thing you do in an act one. You take your character. In this case, Nick Aldis, he's the GM of WWE. His world is being the GM of WWE, and then something happens, that's why it's called an inciting incident, like laying a match to a fuse on a stick of dynamite. Something happens to take him out of that world and thrust him into one that's completely different, and then the journey begins. I think it's great." [From 1:38:10 – 1:38:45]

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On April 4, Randy Orton hit Aldis with an RKO after the SmackDown GM informed him he no longer had a match at WrestleMania 41. A week later, The Viper hinted he could face the former NWA World's Heavyweight Champion on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Another reason why Eric Bischoff would choose Nick Aldis as Randy Orton's opponent

Although he is best known for his time in WCW and WWE, Eric Bischoff also worked for TNA between 2010 and 2014. Nick Aldis, then known as Magnus, held the TNA World Heavyweight Championship once during Bischoff's spell with the company.

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Bischoff enjoyed working with Aldis and has kept in touch with him over the last decade:

"I think Nick Aldis is a super guy. Super guy. Class act. I've stayed in touch with Nick. We've stayed friends since my time in TNA, to be honest, and there's been different times throughout his career before he ended up as the GM where we bounced ideas back and forth and talked about different options that he had and what might be the best option for him, just as friends." [From 1:38:49 – 1:39:18]

Aldis has never wrestled for WWE. Randy Orton, by contrast, has competed in more than 2,000 matches for the company, including 19 bouts at WrestleMania.

Please credit 83 Weeks and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart