Last month at the Elimination Chamber PLE, Randy Orton outlasted five other men to earn a World title shot at WWE WrestleMania 42. A few weeks ago, on Friday Night SmackDown, Orton shocked the world when he turned heel on WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.
Orton launched a brutal, violent attack on Rhodes and left him bleeding on the ringside. The following week on RAW, Orton would be seen in a backstage segment on a phone call with a mysterious person. Extending the mysterious aura about the phone call, Orton could be heard saying, “Wrestling has more than one royal family.” This is the same catchphrase as Rhodes' theme song.
Randy Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Bob Orton, father Bob Orton Jr., and uncle Barry Orton were all wrestlers. Hailing from a similar wrestling background as Cody Rhodes, Orton teased his lineage on the mysterious call. The same angle continued last week on SmackDown as well. However, with still a few weeks left for WWE WrestleMania 42, the promotion has not yet revealed the identity of the caller.
Here are the three most likely surprises we at Clutchpoints believe could be on the other side of Orton's phone call.
1. “Cowboy” Bob Orton
The WWE Hall of Famer, and Randy Orton’s father, is the most obvious and logical choice, especially with Orton's ‘royal family' statement. Well, while the Ortons may not be the same as the Anoa’i Family, their history is unquestionable. Orton's grandfather, his uncle Barry Orton, and his legendary father.
The Ortons have been synonymous with pro-wrestling since the 1950s and have been one of the most reputed names in the industry. Hailing from the same generation as Rhodes' father, Dusty Rhodes, Orton could bring out “Cowboy” Bob Orton ahead of his WrestleMania 42 match and potentially win his 15th World title?
2. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Talking about wrestling families, the first one that comes to one's mind is the Anoa’i Family. Consisting of some of the greatest Samoan wrestlers in the industry's history, Jey Uso, Umaga, Rikishi, Roman Reigns, “The Rock”, and many more.
Rhodes and “The Rock” share a detailed history. From “The American Nightmare's” feud with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 to John Cena's heel turn ahead of WrestleMania 40, “The Rock” was involved every time.
While a far shot, there still lies a small chance Randy Orton could be calling out Dwayne Johnson before his fight with Rhodes. “The Final Boss” has always proven himself to be a roadblock during Rhodes' WrestleMania journey, and could this year be a similar case as well?
After failing to show up at WrestleMania 40 with a heel John Cena, WWE could do the unthinkable this year and have Johnson choose sides with Orton to take on Rhodes at “The Grandest Stage of them All.”
3. Shane McMahon
The McMahons could arguably be classified as the ones who made the world of pro-wrestling into a mainstream topic. From establishing WWF to WWE, the McMahons can also be classified as one of wrestling's royal families.
With Stephanie McMahon set to be inducted into the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame, could the road to WrestleMania 42 also open the door for Shane McMahon's WWE return? Shane McMahon has not been seen in WWE for years. After tearing his quads at WrestleMania 39, McMahon has largely remained absent from televised appearances.
While his father, Vince McMahon, could be permanently ruled out of the promotion, WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas still allows a hope for Shane McMahon to return. The 56-year-old Shane McMahon has often played a heel in his career, and this year, he could do the same upon his return. A heel Shane McMahon could potentially join hands with Orton to take on Rhodes and possibly dethrone him from the top.
Rhodes, a three-time WWE World Champion,, will take on Orton, a former 14-time World Champion, who is now on the hunt for his 15th. Last year, Cena defeated Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 to win his record-breaking 17th World Championship. Could “The Viper” do the same this year and defeat Rhodes to earn his 15th World title?
While Orton and Rhodes clash in a World title match, CM Punk and Roman Reigns will also headline one of the other WrestleMania nights. WrestleMania 42 is scheduled to take place on Apr. 18-19, 2026, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
