Randy Orton’s path to WWE WrestleMania 41 has been a winding one, but given a brand new report, it seems we finally have an end in sight.
Based on Cory Hays of BodySlam.net, current WWE creative plans call for Orton to issue an open challenge at WrestleMania 41, which can emanate from Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on April 19 and 20. Initially, Orton was slated to face Kevin Owens on night one in all the premium live event. Attributable to his need for neck surgery, nonetheless, Owens later withdrew from the match, along with his timeline for an in-ring return still unclear. Right away, there is no such thing as a word on which night Orton’s reported open challenge might happen either.
Following Owens’ devastating announcement on the April 4 episode of “WWE SmackDown,” General Manager Nick Aldis informed Orton that he now not had a match at WrestleMania. In response, Orton dropped Aldis with an RKO — his second since returning to WWE television in November 2023. Last week, “The Viper” then suggested that Aldis himself could gear up as his potential substitute opponent. Nevertheless, Orton has asserted (via WWE’s YouTube) that he must discover the identity of his WrestleMania opponent, whomever it could be, by tomorrow’s episode of “SmackDown,” or else he’ll make Aldis eat yet one more RKO.
Apart from Aldis, speculated candidates for Orton’s WrestleMania opponent include Aleister Black and Miro, each of whom recently departed from All Elite Wrestling and are seemingly nearing a WWE return. One other possibility lies in Solo Sikoa, who confronted Orton alongside Tama Tonga last week, resulting in a foremost event tag team match on “SmackDown.”
