“This could be his last WrestleMania” – Eric Bischoff on WWE star’s unfortunate situation

Eric Bischoff worked in several on-screen and off-screen roles during his Hall of Fame career in the wrestling business. In a recent podcast episode, the former WCW President reacted to Randy Orton’s disappointing WrestleMania 41 news.

Orton was supposed to face long-term rival Kevin Owens on April 19-20. However, on the April 4 episode of SmackDown, Owens revealed he needs neck surgery and will not compete in his previously advertised match against The Viper.

Speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff addressed the possibility of WrestleMania 41 being Orton’s final appearance at The Show of Shows. The 14-time world champion missed 18 months of in-ring action between May 2022 and November 2023 after undergoing back surgery.

“This could be his [Randy Orton’s] last WrestleMania,” Bischoff said. “He could have three or four more under his belt. I mean, he’s that good and in that great a shape, but he’s been doing this a long time, and he’s had to deal with some pretty significant injuries, and any time you’ve got injuries on your resume like he has, any given match could be your last match.” [8:54 – 9:15]

After Owens’ announcement, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis informed Orton that he no longer has a WrestleMania 41 opponent. The 45-year-old reacted by hitting the authority figure with an RKO.

Eric Bischoff reflects on Randy Orton’s WWE career

In 2002, Randy Orton made his main roster debut after two years in the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) developmental system. Over two decades later, he is widely viewed as one of WWE’s all-time greats.

Given Orton’s age and star power, Eric Bischoff hopes the popular star does not miss out on appearing at WrestleMania 41:

“Add to that 20-25 years of bouncing around in the ring and being at the top of this industry, he’s getting close to the end of his career at some point, and hopefully it’s not forced upon him in a situation like this.” [9:16 – 9:29]

Orton has competed at 19 WrestleMania events. In 2024, Logan Paul defeated the former Evolution member and Kevin Owens at WrestleMania XL to retain the United States Championship.

Please credit 83 Weeks and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use Eric Bischoff’s quotes from this article.

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Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart