Randy Ortonstill needs an opponent forWWEWrestleMania 41. For months, WWE had been building toward Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens on the Grandest Stage of Them All, but unfortunately, the latter suffered a legitimate career-threatening neck injury that requires surgery,leaving him off the card. With less than a week to go before Mania weekend begins, this leaves The Viper without a match, for now.
WWE has tried to rectify this since theApril 11th episode ofFriday Night SmackDown, whereRandy Orton reignited his 2024 feud with Solo Sikoa. For all intents and purposes, it makes sense for Solo Sikoa vs. Randy Orton to be on the card, not only because of what transpired on that episode, but given their history together.
However, the match has yet to be officially announced, meaning that there’s still time for WWE to schedule Orton for another match. Alternatively, the episode teased a much different potentialManiaopponent for Orton, one that fans seem to be eager to see in the ring:SmackDownGeneral Manager Nick Aldis.
WWE Teased Solo Sikoa as Randy Orton’s Opponent at WrestleMania
A Match That Has Been Years in the Making for WWE
Randy Orton has been entangled with the Bloodline for years, dating back to 2022 when he and Matt Riddle feuded with The Usos over the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Titles. Thanks to constant meddling from Roman Reigns, Orton would eventually target the Head of the Table, but not beforeone of WWE’s greatest factionsput Orton on the shelf, as the Superstar was forced to take 18 months off due to injury. Both 2024 and 2025 have seen Orton become a thorn in the Bloodline’s side, now teasing a match with its current leader, Solo Sikoa. Their history makes Sikoa a perfect replacement for Kevin Owens, but sadly,the social media reaction has been unfavorable.
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For starters, Sikoa vs. Orton happened already before on the January 19th, 2024, episode ofSmackDown. With Orton pinning Sikoa in under six minutes, fans aren’t excited to see a rematch atWrestleMania. In addition, after he spent the majority of 2024 as SmackDown’s top heel, most fans appear burnt out by seeing Sikoa inSmackDown’smain event picture. Let’s not forget that WWE teased Sikoa vs. Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship atElimination Chamberon theFebruary 7th episode ofSmackDown, and a negative social media reaction inspired WWE to quickly and quietly drop the angle.
Randy Orton’s Best Opponent for WrestleMania 41 Is SmackDown GM Nick Aldis
Nick Aldis Was a World Champion Before Coming to WWE
Another reason why the WWE Universe’s reaction to the prospect of Solo Sikoa vs. Randy Orton has been unfavorable is that many fans online appearmore interested in the prospect of Nick Aldis vs. Randy Orton. Previously, Orton had hit the GM with an RKO, which only resulted in a storyline fine. Last week, however, moments before Orton was attacked by Sikoa, tensions continued to flare when Aldis demanded Orton to respect him, only for Orton to take a jab at Aldis bynamedropping his wife, Mickie James, upon making additional threats.
For many fans unaware of Aldis' pre-WWE career, the idea of an in-ring authority figure wrestling seems strange, but long before joining WWE as General Manager, he was a world-renowned and respected wrestling champion. When he wrestled around the world, either under his real name or as Magnus, he captured World Championships in TNA and the NWA. At one point, he defeated current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes to win the NWA Title.
WWEfans aware of his pedigree are excited about the idea of Nick Aldis not only having his first match in the WWE, but also having his legacy acknowledged through a match against a future Hall of Famer atWrestleMania.
