How WWE Could Have Done More With Randy Orton At WrestleMania 41

WrestleMania 41 weekend sure was a strange one. From Triple H and Roman Reigns’ comments praising President Donald Trump, WWE’s purchase of Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, and the lackluster main event between Cody Rhodes and John Cena which The Rock couldn’t even bother to show up for, it’s safe to say this isn’t a Show of Shows that fans will be talking about years from now. There was another disappointing moment at WrestleMania 41 as well involving one of their greatest stars of all-time, Randy Orton. Because of a real-life neck injury, his match with Kevin Owens was canceled at the last minute. WWE had a chance to save Orton’s moment with a fun mystery opponent surprise, but instead all we got was a silly squash match with TNA’s Joe Hendry. Randy Orton deserved so much more.

Randy Orton Vs. Kevin Owens Would Have Been A Great WrestleMania Match

Orton Wanted Revenge On Owens For Injuring Him

• Kevin Owens hurt Randy Orton in kayfabe with a piledriver.
• A real-life neck injury forced Kevin Owens to step away from WrestleMania 41.
• WWE had the chance to deliver a fun mystery opponent for RKO.

It has been great to see Randy Orton back in WWE after a severe back injury nearly ended his career. After returning at Survivor Series 2023, he has been mostly a part-time star, which is fine. He’s in his late 40s now and has given his all to professional wrestling. Orton deserves his rest, but he also deserves to be treated like an all-time great when he’s around. WWE was going to give him that at WrestleMania 41 with a match against Kevin Owens, who had hurt Orton in kayfabe with a piledriver.

Kevin Owens has been killing it as a heel lately, so RKO vs. KO would have been a brilliant feud, but just as it was getting going, Kevin Owens had to come out on SmackDown and announce that he had to step away due to a real-life neck injury. This was disappointing for all involved, but WWE could have still saved if with a fun surprise, but instead they went with the easiest option possible and made the Viper look silly.

Nick Aldis Promised To Find A WrestleMania Opponent For RKO

Mystery Opponents Can Be Fun Angles For Fans

• Orton suggested that SmackDown GM Nick Aldis could face him.
• Rusev and Aleister Black were options as both have rejoined WWE.
• Sami Zayn could have given Randy Orton a great match.

Randy Orton was understandably upset when his match against Kevin Owens was taken away, going so far as to give an RKO to SmackDown GM Nick Aldis. That was an interesting development. Would Orton begin to snap, so angry about not being involved in WrestleMania that his controlled rage would come out and maybe lead to an eventual heel turn? Orton is beloved by fans and is an easy to cheer for as a babyface, but being the bad guy is where he works best.

The next week, Randy Orton demanded a match and drew a pop from the crowd when he suggested that Nick Aldis could put on his wrestling boots and fight him. That would have been exciting. Hardcore wrestling fans know how great Aldis was and still could be, but WrestleMania 41 would be compelling for casual fans, as they would see Nick Aldis for the first time. It would also make sense, with Aldis so angry over being attacked that it drove him to get back in the ring.

If WWE wasn’t going to go that route, there were other options. The mystery opponent angle is always riveting, especially at WrestleMania, where anything can happen. Who would step up to face Randy Orton? Rusev and Aleister Black are both back in WWE. Would one of them make their WrestleMania return? The crowd would have lost their minds if their music hit. Maybe someone like Sami Zayn, who was without a match, would have stepped up. That wouldn’t have made for a fun surprise, but at least we’d get a good match. WWE had so many options, but they went with the worst one available.

Randy Orton Was Treated Like A Nostalgia Act At WrestleMania

TNA’s Top Champion Was Made To Look Like A Joke

• Joe Hendry is a fun act in TNA.
• TNA jobbed out their company and world champion at WrestleMania.
• Randy Orton’s character didn’t treat the match seriously.

Joe Hendry is a fun act, and he deserves to be the TNA World Champion. When his theme song hit in Las Vegas, the crowd roared, but it was very obvious he was not a serious challenger for Randy Orton. Hendry is the guy who sings songs and makes you laugh, while Orton is the badass viper. There wasn’t a chance in hell that Hendry was going to win or even look like a serious threat. No one was going to beat Orton (not even Kevin Owens), but at least Aldis, Rusev, or Black would seem like someone who could plausibly hurt him.

Joe Hendry was fed to Randy Orton in what was pretty much a squash match. He got in a few moves here and there, but he was also made to look dumb as he turned and smiled at the crowd, giving into his gimmick so fully that he walked right into the easiest of RKOs. Now, TNA isn’t on the level of WWE, of course, but TNA has had some legendary champions over the decades. This isn’t some minor league promotion. Jobbing out the face of their company only made TNA and Joe Hendry look ridiculous.

It didn’t make Randy Orton look much better, who shrugged and smiled when Hendry came out, treating the match like a fun time rather than anything serious. Having him steal Hendry’s gimmick by turning the crowd and doing his signature pose only made him look like a nostalgia act on a historic night. It was his twentieth match at WrestleMania, but he was booked like the old veteran coming in to get a quick pop and get the crowd excited, before bowing and moving out of the way for something bigger and better. That shouldn’t be the case. Randy Orton is still bigger and better. He could have been Cody Rhodes’ perfect opponent at any time for the WWE Championship, but instead he was on the biggest show of the year with barely anything to do.