Nick Aldis to bring back top WWE star after 371 days as Randy Orton’s WrestleMania opponent? Potential explored

Randy Orton’s WrestleMania status has become unclear after it was announced that Kevin Owens will not be able to compete at The Show of Shows due to a neck injury. However, Nick Aldis may ensure The Viper faces a special name at ‘Mania in KO’s absence.

After feuding since October 2024, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton were set to face off in singles action at WrestleMania 41. However, The Prizefighter announced last week that he had been dealing with a neck injury and must step away from in-ring action to recover. The news didn’t sit well with The Viper, and he dropped Aldis with an RKO. Therefore, The National Treasure could replace KO with Omos.

The Nigerian Giant and Orton feuded in 2021 while they were working in the tag team division. At the time, Omos was with AJ Styles, while The Viper was with Matt Riddle. Now, they could face each other in singles competition at a massive stage like ‘Mania.

Omos, who was last seen on WWE TV on April 5, 2024, could return this week on SmackDown or even next week to set up a feud with Orton. The 30-year-old will be a tough opponent for The Apex Predator due to his impressive size and stature. Moreover, Aldis can punish Orton for the assault by booking him against the dominant powerhouse.

The Nigerian Giant last competed inside a WWE ring during the 2024 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Although he hasn’t been seen on the company’s programming in over a year, he competed several times in Japan at the beginning of 2025. He even won the GHC Tag Team Championship in the process.

What did Kevin Owens say about missing his WWE WrestleMania 41 match against Randy Orton?

Randy Orton and Kevin Owens were tag team partners last year until The Viper decided to side with Cody Rhodes in the latter’s feud against Owens. KO and Orton were engaged in a heated rivalry on SmackDown for months, and many were disappointed when it was confirmed the match wouldn’t take place at WrestleMania 41.

In an interview with My Mom’s Basement, Kevin Owens shared that he had a great support system to help him in his recovery process. He added that it was unfortunate that he had to miss his WrestleMania match against Orton.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I’ve a great support system; my family is great, my co-workers are great, and everything. It su**s, man. Just not getting to wrestle Randy Orton at WrestleMania really su**s. That’s the part that bugs me the most.”

It will be interesting to see what WWE has in store for Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41.

About the author

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Hazel is a WWE features writer for Sportskeeda Wrestling. Currently a BS Psychology student in her third year, she ensures that multiple accurate and reliable sources back every piece of information in her articles. She phrases even mundane information in her own words, especially when using single sources like books or social media posts, to add a hint of personal touch.

Hazel has had a penchant for writing since high school. Apart from pursuing Humanities and Social Sciences for her senior year, she attended classes about creative and nonfiction writing. In 2019, Hazel started working as a ghostwriter, and three years later, she began working for Sportskeeda. In 2023, she became a published author under 8letters Books Publishing House. Even today, when she is not studying as a pre-med student or writing for Sportskeeda, she enjoys reading and writing novels.

Her favorite wrestlers are Edge and Randy Orton. She recalls watching John Cena vs Big Show vs Edge in WrestleMania 25 in her first wrestling match. Hazel enjoyed the entrances, and what got her hooked was how cool and ruthless Edge was and how John Cena never backed down from his challenges.

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