Randy Orton Is Reportedly 'Hurting' Ahead Of WWE WrestleMania 42 Main Event

The road to WWE WrestleMania 42 has reached its destination of Las Vegas. "WWE SmackDown" and the Hall of Fame induction ceremony are now all that stand between the start of "The Showcase of the Immortals." For the first time ever, WrestleMania will air on ESPN (the first hour each night) and its streaming service, and Night One will be headlined by Cody Rhodes defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton.

24 hours before the big match, Orton is reportedly "hurting", according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Pat McAfee has been involved with Orton the last few weeks and has even promised fans that if Orton loses, we'll never see him on WWE television again. Dave Meltzer believes that seems to give away the result of the match. However, if Orton is injured and needs time off, that could change the match result. The newsletter also points out that "given the Orton & McAfee vs. Rhodes & Jelly Roll match at Backlash on 5/9 that was on the schedule, all signs point to McAfee not leaving and Orton not being expected to have to take time off."

On tonight's episode of "SmackDown", Rhodes is expected to address Orton ahead of their big match. It is unclear if Orton is scheduled to appear and if McAfee will be there in his place.