Speculation on Randy Orton’s WrestleMania 41 opponent (Exclusive)

Modified Apr 09, 2025 08:48 GMT

Randy Orton was supposed to take on Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 41 (Image via WWE.com).

Randy Orton's WrestleMania 41 opponent was confirmed till last Friday. However, the Viper had to watch Kevin Owens pull out of the match because of an injury. The announcement prompted Orton to hit SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis with an RKO.

Speaking of Nick Aldis, there's a section of WWE fans that want to see the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion collide with Orton after what went down between the two men last week on the blue brand. It seems Bill Apter is rooting for Aldis to take on Orton as well.

During a recent episode of Live Q&A on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Apter speculated on Randy Orton's WrestleMania 41 opponent. The Hall of Famer journalist noted that Orton versus Aldis needs to happen on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

"It's got to be Nick Aldis. It's about time Aldis, you know, he's still a terrific wrestler. There's no reason why Randy Orton cannot go against the main Power Man in WWE. Yeah. The two of them, I think it'd be a great match. I think the fans would go crazy to see it." [From 11:01 onwards]

Fans will have to wait to see if Nick Aldis addresses Orton's RKO out of nowhere from last week on the upcoming episode of Friday Night SmackDown.

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About the author

Manik Aftab writes Exclusive articles for Sportskeeda Wrestling’s WWE division. A BA (Hons) in English Literature helped him improve his writing skills before starting his career as a pro wrestling writer.

Before joining Sportskeeda, Aftab worked for Ringside News and The Sportster, where his wrestling articles and feature pieces consistently ranked on the first page of Google SERPs.

He prioritizes accuracy, relevance, and ethics in his reporting by conducting thorough research, verifying sources, and adhering to professional journalistic standards.

While Aftab’s favorite wrestler in AEW is Hangman Adam Page, he doesn’t have a favorite in WWE yet. However, he considers Stone Cold Steve Austin to be the greatest professional wrestler of all time. His earliest memory of watching pro wrestling was when The Rock faced The New Age Outlaws in a handicap match, but it was the John Cena vs. Edge match from Unforgiven 2006 that got him hooked. If given the chance to manage a star from the Attitude Era, he would choose The British Bulldog, as he believes Davey Boy Smith was a terrific worker and could've benefitted from having a mouthpiece for his lack of mic skills.

When not watching pro wrestling, Aftab enjoys reading science fiction and watching anime.

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Edited by Angana Roy