Randy Orton Beats TNA's Joe Hendry at WWE WrestleMania 41 in His 20th Match at PPV

Randy Orton's 20th appearance at WrestleMania was a successful one, as he defeated TNA's Joe Hendry after issuing an open challenge.

The TNA world champion made his shocking WrestleMania debut on Sunday night, stepping up to challenge Orton—and he was met with a thunderous pop from the Las Vegas crowd.

Despite the electric debut, the match was short-lived. As Hendry celebrated a bit too early with a pose to the camera, Orton struck with an RKO out of nowhere, securing the pinfall victory and reminding everyone why he's a 14-time world champion.

Orton was originally scheduled to wrestle Kevin Owens on The Grandest Stage of Them All. The Viper returned to television at Elimination Chamber after a four-month absence to help Sami Zayn after KO defeated him in an unsanctioned match.

Owens announced on the April 4 episode of SmackDown that he would be unable to compete at The Show of Shows due to a neck injury that required surgery.

On the go-home episode of SmackDown, Orton said he would still be competing at WrestleMania by issuing an open challenge to anyone willing to accept.

There had been rumblings in recent weeks about several stars either returning to or debuting in WWE very soon, so the open challenge got fans talking.

However, WWE pulled off a surprise masterclass by keeping Hendry's 'Mania debut under wraps, fueling speculation among fans that a full-time move to the main roster might be on the horizon. Hendry also appeared at the Royal Rumble but did not last long in the event.

This marked The Apex Predator's first victory at WrestleMania since 2022, when he and Matt Riddle defeated The Street Profits and Alpha Academy to retain the Raw tag team titles.

Orton is now the third superstar in WWE history with at least 20 matches at WrestleMania. The Undertaker leads the list with 27, followed by Triple H at 23.

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