WWE name says missed WrestleMania match with Randy Orton ‘was never discussed with me’
Randy Orton’s unpredictability in the ring especially with Nick Aldis led to speculation on a WWE match between the two. While many in the wrestling world expected a showdown at WrestleMania last year, Aldis believes that Joe Hendry stepping into the position was the right call.
Aldis explained on the Insight Podcast that while there was on-screen tension with Orton after being RKO’d, a feud between the two at the PLE would have come across as a wrestling match, whereas his rivalry with Gunther has ‘real meat on the bone’.
“Yeah, it could have been. I mean, could have been anyone. It was a great spot for Joe Hendry. I thought it was a really entertaining segment.”
“It was a great piece of business for WrestleMania,” stated Aldis. “But had they decided ‘Hey, it’s there’, that would have been great. But I will say, this has real meat on the bone. With Randy, that would have been cool, but it would have been very much like a sort of ‘Oh, hey, let’s have a wrestling match’ kind of thing.”
“It would have been nice, but it would have felt very sort of, you know, this has some genuine emotion.”
Aldis further revealed that his wife, Mickie James and Orton were instrumental in making him mentally prepare for an in-ring debut in WWE that could happen at any time.
“There were two people when there were other moments where it looked like that might be on the cards. Two people that said to me, ‘You have to stay somewhat ready because they’re not gonna give you three months’ notice. You’re gonna get like a couple weeks.’ One was Mickie (James), and one was Randy.”
“Because last year at WrestleMania, a lot of people felt like maybe that was a possibility. Was never discussed with me, and even Randy even kind of leaned toward it on TV. But like I said, I try to make a point to stay out of it in that respect. I didn’t lobby for anything.”
“But I remember Randy talking to me at WrestleMania and kind of saying, you know, you need to stay ready, because it’s gonna happen, and they’re gonna do it like that. It’s gonna come out of nowhere.”
Following his 2023 return at Survivor Series, Orton was officially signed to SmackDown. During the contract deal, Orton RKO’d Aldis which sparked speculation on the manager’s in-ring debut that year. A couple of years later at Backlash, Orton’s erratic behavior saw him attack WWE officials including the SmackDown General Manager during his match against John Cena.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.