The Young and the Restless spoilers: Cane’s big showdown not with Victor, but another Newman?

We said it once, and we’ll say it again, barring a medical emergency or a kidnapping, we just don’t believe The Young and the Restless’ Cane (Billy Flynn) is in The Great Victor Newman’s (Eric Braeden) league.

Although Cane has managed to become a billionaire in six years, lure most of Genoa City’s power players to France (and trap them) and secretly buy up property all around town, we just have a hard time buying that he’s position himself to be one of the very few people to ever get a one-up on Victor. Heck, Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) is Victor’s greatest rival, and not even the Jabot CEO can brag that he’s adequately bested Victor.

Our feelings aside, the powers that be at The Young and the Restless continue to develop the narrative that Cane will prove to be a worthy adversary of Victor. And who knows, perhaps this battle with Victor will be different than our expectations and this feud will provide some must-watch TV.

After all, Victor is still recovering from his gunshot ordeal with Ian (Ray Wise), he’s aging a bit and he’s already fighting a few other battles that need his attention. However, if Cane is in a position to deal a blow to Victor by somehow getting a foothold in Newman Enterprises or stealing Chancellor, we don’t think he’ll have the upper hand for long.

We have every reason to believe Victor can outmaneuver Cane in this corporate game of chess, but we also think there’s a chance that Victor isn’t the Newman that Cane should be preparing to battle with the most.

As we stated, Victor is aging a bit, so now would be a great opportunity to show one of his descendants stepping up and proving they’re just as capable (if not more) of being the ruthless businessperson as the Newman patriarch has shown himself to be time and time again.

Thinking along these lines, if our hunch is correct and Cane’s biggest adversary proves to be another member of the Newman clan, it’s easy to assume that he might be locking horns with Adam (Mark Grossman) soon. Out of all of Victor’s children, Adam, more often than not, is the one who dabbles in the dark side, thriving in the legal grey area to scheme, manipulate and defeat his opponents. He really is a chip off the old block, which makes him a viable threat to Cane.

Then there’s Nick (Joshua Morrow). He's traditionally been the Boy Scout of the bunch, but in more recent years, he’s been showcasing he is willing to do what “needs to be done” to protect his family. Let’s not forget that the man is quick to lose his cool when a threat arises. He was ready to pound Ian into the ground and killed Ashland Locke (Robert Newman) to protect his big sister.

Having said all of that, we think the person who shouldn’t be underestimated here is actually Victoria (Amelia Heinle). Victor’s eldest is in the process of grieving Cole (J. Eddie Peck) and she doesn’t have the support of her parents and Nick because Cane has them cut off from the outside world. When all is revealed on this front, she’s likely to be furious for the games Cane has been playing and how they’ve impacted her.

We should also remember that Victoria is fiercely protective of her mother. Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) is really enjoying running Chancellor and doesn’t want to lose the company to anyone. With Cane presenting a threat to Nikki’s happiness, Victoria may become dedicated to taking Cane down. Not for nothing, Victoria may welcome the challenge to help distract her from her Cole grief.

Let’s also add that out of all of the Newmans, Victoria knows Cane the best given their previous experience working together and flirtatious banter. Although Cane seems different these days, she has the best shot at feeling him out to take him down.

Lastly, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the fact that when Victoria is not in a romance, she too can become a mini Victor. She’s earned the reputation of being an ice princess for a reason. Victoria would likely have no problem doing what it takes (sans murder) to defeat Cane.

So what do you think? Should viewers be preparing for Cane’s big showdown to be with Victoria rather than Victor?

New episodes of The Young and the Restless air weekdays on CBS. Episodes become available to stream on Paramount Plus the next day.