Duringlast night’sFriday Night SmackDown, Kevin Owensconfirmed the newsthat he had sustained a serious injury and that he isno longer able to compete against Randy OrtonatWrestleMania 41, bringing their long-term story arc to a screeching halt. With Owens out of the picture,The Viper has no clear directionwhen it comes to Sin City.
Randy Orton is one of the best adapting wrestlers inWWE, and can easily slide into a new program with just about anyone. With the playing field wide open,here are five solid choicesto face Randy Orton atWrestleMania 41.
5Aleister Black
A Returning Superstar Can Cash in Big
If the rumors are true, and with the news of his release from AEW earlier this year, Aleister Black is making his way back to WWE under the new tutelage of Chief Creative Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, the man who helped oversee a lot of Black’s successful creative during his time in NXT. Recent weeks onSmackDownhave shown smoky and dark promos that arepotentially leading towards a returning Black, and WWE fans are excited to see his return under the Triple H regime.
Fans of Black never got to see the “Dark Father” storyline pay off, as Black was shockingly released in 2021, just shortly after the story kicked off, and it could be very easyp to insert Orton into his line of fire, pitting two dark characters against one another.A returning Black would benefit greatlyfrom a starting feud with Orton, helping to establish him as another potential main event player or worthy challenger to eitherJey Uso or Gunther for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
4Carmelo Hayes
Another Opportunity to Build Him as the Next Big Thing
Carmelo Hayes was the brightest star coming out of NXT last year afterNXT: Stand and Deliverin Philadelphia, finishing a strong program with Trick Williams for the NXT Championship. While Hayes started out strong, including a program with Orton in late spring,he’s recently felt out of placein theSmackDownlandscape, most recently in a tag team program with The Miz and Pretty Deadly.
Hayes entering a program again with Orton at WrestleMania would allow him to utilize both The Miz’s knowledge and foresight to overcome a Viper challenge while being placed in a prominent spot against a big star.There’s no downside to the Hayes feudwith Orton in Sin City, and fans would get another solid, hard-hitting match between the two, which is never a bad thing.
3Bo Dallas/Uncle Howdy
The Wyatts Have a Long History With the Viper
No one has quite the rich history with Randy Orton as Bray Wyatt, who had the last major WrestleMania program with Orton before his release in 2021 and his passing in 2023. However,Bo Dallas has taken up the Wyatt mantle, introducing the WWE Universe to Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks, last seen in a losing effort to The Final Testament before Dallas' legitimate injury sidelined them.
An Orton/Howdy feud would likely be the easiest and most efficient, as the volume of matches and footage already in existence between Wyatt and Orton would allow for an in-depth and fast build in just under two weeks. It’s uncertain how viable this option is, as Dallas has yet to be cleared to return to action, and it’s almost certain these two will cross paths soon, whether in Vegas or after.
2Nick Aldis
The Current GM Deserves a CHance to Step in the Ring
The General Manager ofSmackDownsince 2023,Nick Aldis has yet to have a proper on-screen matchwith WWE since joining the company. Aldis has had multiple run-ins with Orton in the past since he became an on-screen authority figure, including being the recipient of another RKO after giving him the bad news about Owens’s injury.
Aldis is the most likely of these outcomes, as his on-screen presence allows for an easy build, especially in light of last night’s attack. With less than two weeks to Las Vegas,Aldis becoming Orton’s opponent is the path of least resistanceand will give Aldis an incredible opportunity to debut in a WWE ring on the grandest stage of them all.
1Karrion Kross
It’s Time To Go All In on This Incredible Superstar
If there was any time to strike a hot iron, now would be it, andthat white-hot iron is Karrion Kross, arguably the best and most underutilized performance player on the WWE roster. The most cerebral and methodical performer since… well, Randy Orton, Kross has made his path by changing his opponents and their behaviors, leading to changes with The New Day, Shinsuke Nakamura, and others in his path.
Utilizing Kross in this role against Orton asthe beginning of a slow and cerebral build backto Orton’s more violent and vicious mindset will help all players involved, especially as WWE looks to book eitherJohn Cena or Cody Rhodes post-Mania, and allow Kross to finally prove himself as a worthy (and overdue) championship contender against any of the three players. Another program with no downside, it’s officially Karrion Kross' time in WWE, and there’s no time like the present to go all in on him. Tick tock.
