Nick Aldis to stun Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41 with Kevin Owens' replacement? Possibility explored

Randy Orton returned at Elimination Chamber 2025. [Images Source: WWE.com] — Randy Orton returned at Elimination Chamber 2025 [Images source: wwe.com]

Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton for WrestleMania 41 has been canceled after KO pulled out of the bout owing to neck issues that will require surgery. When Nick Aldis made the announcement, The Viper dropped him with an RKO. The RKO may be what will ensure Orton retains his spot on the match card.

Nick Aldis seemingly cannot levy a fine on The Legend Killer for the assault. The last time The Viper took Aldis out with an RKO, he paid double the fine and claimed the extra was for the next time he would attack The National Treasure. Hence, the SmackDown general manager could book him against a mystery opponent at The Show of Shows to exact revenge.

Seth Rollins faced a returning Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 38, and something similar could happen with Randy Orton. Aldis could inform Orton that he would not know his challenger until the match starts. At The Show of Shows, a returning Aleister Black (aka Malakai Black) could be revealed as the veteran's opponent.

Black joined AEW in 2021 and left the promotion in February 2025. The former NXT Champion is now rumored to return to the sports entertainment juggernaut. WWE has seemingly been teasing his potential comeback on SmackDown through cryptic vignettes.

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While it has been reported that Black will return to WWE TV after WrestleMania 41, creative plans may change with The Prizefighter pulling out of his match against Orton.

Randy Orton sent a message to Kevin Owens on WWE SmackDown

The Apex Predator showed up on the latest episode of WWE SmackDown after Owens' announcement. He didn't look happy with the situation at all, and some expected a promo battle between the superstars.

Orton surprisingly broke character and asked the Canadian wrestler to get himself "fixed up."

"Go get yourself fixed up."

Although The Viper's WrestleMania match stands canceled, there are speculations that Nick Aldis vs. Randy Orton might be a possible creative direction. However, nothing has been confirmed.

About the author

Shuvangi Sen Chaudhury is a pro wrestling journalist at Sporstkeeda, covering the biggest trends in the world of WWE and sports entertainment. She did her bachelor's at Royal Holloway, University of London, and has been an avid fan of various sports since childhood.

Shuvangi has over four years of experience creating content for football, cricket, and pro wrestling. She has worked for prominent news outlets like The Inquisitr and EssentiallySports. Focused on making her work reliable and accurate, Shuvangi sources information for her articles from credible sources like Cagematch and ProfightDB.

Shuvangi’s current favorite pro wrestler is Seth Rollins. She admires The Visionary for his remarkable reign with the World Heavyweight Championship between May 2023 and April 2024. She believes Rollins made the title relevant after its reintroduction by consistently defending it against a diverse set of opponents.

If allowed to rework a WWE storyline, Shuvangi would have featured Roman Reigns on weekly TV in a more prominent role leading up to his main event matches at WrestleMania XL. She believes The Tribal Chief was overshadowed by The Rock in The Bloodline-Cody Rhodes saga.

When not covering pro wrestling, Shuvangi loves to watch Formula One and cricket. She wants to try her hand at writing F1 content in the future.

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Edited by Pratik Singh