With Kevin Owens bringing the bad news of having to sit out because he’ll have to undergo neck surgery soon, Randy Orton now finds himself without a WrestleMania 41 opponent. Disappointingly, on this week’s episode of SmackDown, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis told Orton that his match was cancelled from the card, and as a result, “The Viper” laid Aldis out with a powerful RKO.
It’s not certain whether Orton laid out Aldis to secure a match or was frustrated. That being said, if the former, everyone is questioning who will fill in to battle Orton on the grandest stage of the year. Maybe Aldis is the most apparent choice, but here are three possible and interesting replacement opponents WWE might put in front of the Apex Predator at WrestleMania:
Aleister Black
If Nick Aldis is wanting to get Orton back for his RKO, he may not necessarily have to enter the ring himself. Instead, he could bring out a cold, calculating assassin in the shape of the returning Aleister Black. This is a talent that wants to make a statement, and Aldis would be seeking to prove a point.
Black is making the headlines because he’s said to be returning to WWE. The company has been showing vignettes on SmackDown for an enigmatic personality. Most think that’s Black, and if he gets poached by Aldis, a surprise return at WrestleMania would be a massive moment. The notion of Aldis sending Black to exact revenge on Orton for laying hands on a GM provides a fascinating narrative twist. It would also address the possible obstacle of having to justify to fans why a GM earns a match on the WrestleMania card when other talents are being omitted.
There is an argument that other stars might be more deserving, having wrestled on the roster all year and not yet included on the card. That said, WrestleMania is all about big moments, and this could be among the bigger ones over the two nights.
Nick Aldis
After being humiliated on SmackDown, Aldis might be compelled to get his hands dirty. Though he has developed more of the authority figure in WWE, his in-ring qualifications are top shelf. He looks great physically and has never had a WrestleMania moment. The former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion is experienced, is looking good visually, and can handle the microphone as well to stand toe to toe with Orton and WrestleMania could be just the right location for his in-ring WWE debut.
With Owens being absent, WWE is in need of an adversary who is plausible in terms of storytelling. Aldis is the quicker solution that would provide an exciting moment, and WWE did make that opportunity happen on Friday night. While it doesn’t necessarily have to, the con is that it would alter his GM status. It would be a new pairing, and it might be one-and-done if that was something that both Aldis and WWE were interested in.
Karrion Kross
There isn’t a creative pitch that truly works here, but the third dark-horse candidate would be Karrion Kross. If WWE wanted a worthy person who isn’t on the card but has arguably earned the right to get his moment, it’s Kross. He’s done an excellent job attempting to sell himself and whatever creative direction he’s been given.
Nevertheless, WWE hasn’t provided him with much. Most of his competition is either developing other programs or has exited the company completely. He could fill in magnificently, and few would be able to establish a program in this brief period of time as well as he would be able to.
Kross knows the hype that is being created so that he can secure the match. Once SmackDown was over, he posted on social media, “Just letting you all know that I see the tags. And you know I’d say yes. Let’s see what happens.”
Kross has always required a big-match return to position him as a top-tier threat on SmackDown, and against Randy Orton at WrestleMania, it would serve just that purpose. Adding someone as wild as Kross into the mix would be compelling, and having Scarlett as his corner gal offers an opportunity to create some legit animosity between these two.