Creative Force Behind Randy Orton’s WrestleMania 41 SmackDown Segment Revealed

Randy Orton stole the spotlight on the April 11 episode of WWE SmackDown, demanding a WrestleMania match in his 20th appearance at the Show of Shows. But while the action in the ring grabbed headlines, it’s the name behind the segment that’s now getting attention.

According to Fightful Select, WWE writer Colin Clark was the creative force behind the segment that kicked off SmackDown inside Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena. That opening featured Nick Aldis, Randy Orton, Solo Sikoa, and Tama Tonga—and ended with fists flying and a WrestleMania threat from The Viper himself.

Orton opened the show by addressing how he had hit SmackDown GM Nick Aldis with an RKO the week before. Aldis told fans he was keeping it professional, but Orton wasn’t exactly in the mood for apologies. “I don’t have a match at WrestleMania,” Orton said. “And this one matters. This is number twenty.” Then came the ultimatum: “I respect you, Nicki… but if I don’t have a match by next week, I’m gonna do something about it. You’ll have to apologize to Mickie James for what I’m about to do.”

That’s when Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga interrupted. Solo wasn’t in the mood for sentiment. “Nobody wants to hear you whine about not having a match,” Solo snapped. “You’re in the past.” He added that Jacob Fatu is taking the United States Title from LA Knight at WrestleMania—and Orton will be watching from home.

Orton tried to fight them off solo, but the two-on-one beatdown was too much. LA Knight ran in for the save, leading to a tag match later in the show. But the bigger question remains—who’s going one-on-one with Orton in Las Vegas?

Now that Colin Clark’s name is tied to this key piece of the Mania puzzle, fans are watching to see what kind of payoff his story brings next week.