Randy Orton to return and set up his WrestleMania 41 match at WWE Royal Rumble? Exploring the possibility 

Randy Orton has been away from television since November 2024 due to a storyline injury at the hands of Kevin Owens. The Viper could make his return at WWE Royal Rumble 2025 to start his Road to WrestleMania 41.

On the November 9, 2024, edition of WWE SmackDown, tensions between Kevin Owens and Randy Orton reached an all-time high. The heated confrontation ended with KO hitting The Apex Predator with a devastating Package Piledriver. The scene led to the legendary wrestler's prolonged absence, which has yet to end. WWE Royal Rumble 2025 will kickstart the Road to WrestleMania 41, so it will be an ideal time for a comeback.

Given that Owens tried to help Solo Sikoa during the Tribal Combat Match against Roman Reigns at WWE RAW's Netflix debut, The Street Champion could return the favor on February 1 when KO locks horns with Cody in a Ladder Match. As a consequence, The Viper could finally return and take out Solo, enabling Rhodes to pick up the victory against The Prizefighter. This could potentially lead to a showdown between Randy Orton and the new Bloodline leader on The Grandest Stage of Them All in Las Vegas.

Over the last few years, the Stamford-based promotion has consistently booked veterans to go up against youngsters, like John Cena vs. Austin Theory, Cody Rhodes vs. Carmelo Hayes, and more. The trend could continue if the 14-time World Champion battles The Street Champion.

This scenario certainly sounds interesting, but it is just speculation for now and nothing is confirmed.

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Randy Orton to feud with a former world champion after his potential return at Royal Rumble 2025?

While starting a program with Solo Sikoa is a good option, it is not the only way Randy Orton can make a stellar return.

The most obvious path may be to help Cody Rhodes at the Royal Rumble PLE and exact revenge on Kevin Owens, setting up a high-profile match that will be a perfect fit for The Show of Shows. There is also a chance that The Apex Predator will take his revenge at Elimination Chamber instead of WrestleMania.

If that happens, the company may have planned something even better than most fans anticipate. Randy Orton could also take on someone like John Cena or CM Punk to take fans on a nostalgia ride. But again, these are just speculations at this point. It will be interesting to see if The Viper returns to live programming in the coming weeks.