Randy Orton Faced Internal Pushback Over Surprising WWE Decision
May 8, 2025
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Randy Orton recently looked back at how his surprising WrestleMania 41 match against TNA Champion Joe Hendry came together. Speaking with Carl Lamarre of Billboard, Orton revealed the original plans changed abruptly due to injury.
Orton confirmed that initial plans involved facing Kevin Owens at the landmark event. However, those plans were scrapped when Owens was sidelined with a neck issue.
“There was a lot up in the air just a couple of things prior to Mania,” Randy Orton explained. “Owens had the neck thing, and it was starting to bug him. So once they looked at that, the doctors said he was a no-go.”
This opponent change came at a significant time for Orton personally. “This one was important to me because it was my 20th [WrestleMania], and I’m closer to the end of my career than the beginning,” he noted.
Orton continued, emphasizing the importance of the moment for his career narrative. “Getting these Manias in, and leaving as much of a legacy behind [as possible], is important.”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 20: Randy Orton celebrates after defeating Joe Hendry during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 20: Randy Orton celebrates after defeating Joe Hendry during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty Images
“It kind of came down to, ‘OK. We need to get Orton an opponent. Who’s it gonna be?'” Orton recalled. “And there was a very short list of guys on our own roster…” He explained WWE needed him to look strong emerging from WrestleMania, given his subsequent plans leading into the Backlash event.
“…it was one of those things where I needed to win,” Orton stated. “But considering we knew where I was going to be going, thinking about Backlash, we needed me to look good coming out of Mania.” This created a dilemma regarding potential opponents.
“It couldn’t be one of our new guys, because when we debut a new talent into the show, [we couldn’t] have him start with a loss.” The solution came from Orton himself, who pitched bringing in an outside talent. So we put our heads together, and it was actually my idea [for it to be] Joe Hendry,” Orton revealed.
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“I kept pushing for it, and a couple people were unsure, but I was able to talk everybody into it,” he confirmed. Orton expressed great satisfaction with how the unique matchup turned out.
“I’m really glad that they went with him. It was perfect,” Orton said of facing Hendry. “It was different from anything else on the card. It was a legitimate surprise, and we were able to keep it a surprise for the most part.”
He specifically praised the incredible fan reaction when Hendry made his entrance. “We got that really cool, ‘Holy sh*t’ moment when his music hit, and it was great. He was great,” Orton added.
“It was actually a stress-free fun Mania for me, because I didn’t have this crazy 30 minutes balls-to-the-walls match with all this high-risk sh*t,” Orton concluded. “I had this cool little segment with Joe… So I was really able to enjoy the week and just soak it all up.”
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