WWE's Current Replacement WrestleMania 41 Plans For Randy Orton Reportedly Revealed

Randy Orton's path to WWE WrestleMania 41 has been a winding one, but given a new report, it seems we finally have an end in sight.

According to Cory Hays of BodySlam.net, current WWE creative plans call for Orton to issue an open challenge at WrestleMania 41, which will emanate from Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium on April 19 and 20. Initially, Orton was slated to face Kevin Owens on night one of the premium live event. Due to his need for neck surgery, however, Owens later withdrew from the match, with his timeline for an in-ring return still unclear. Right now, there is no word on which night Orton's reported open challenge might take place either.

Following Owens' devastating announcement on the April 4 episode of "WWE SmackDown," General Manager Nick Aldis informed Orton that he no longer 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 replacement opponent. Nevertheless, Orton has asserted (via WWE's YouTube) that he must find out the identity of his WrestleMania opponent, whomever it may be, by tomorrow's episode of "SmackDown," or else he'll make Aldis eat yet another RKO.

Aside from Aldis, speculated candidates for Orton's WrestleMania opponent include Aleister Black and Miro, both of whom recently departed from All Elite Wrestling and are seemingly nearing a WWE return. Another possibility lies in Solo Sikoa, who confronted Orton alongside Tama Tonga last week, leading to a main event tag team match on "SmackDown."