The opening night of the two-night WrestleMania 42 event is finished. “The Viper” Randy Orton versus Undisputed WWE Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes main evented the evening. Could the babyface retain the title through Mania, or would Orton and Co. be too steep a hill to climb?
Pat McAfee was the first person to get an introduction, joined in the ring by Orton, who didn’t get anything extra for his WrestleMania entrance. Rhodes’ entrance started with molds of him scattered across the top of the entrance ramp, each wearing gear from various eras of his career. It included trunks of a green rookie, his “dashing” gimmick, even Stardust, all the way up to The American Nightmare.
Once both stars made it down, ring announcer Alicia Taylor started the championship introductions, only to be interrupted by McAfee, who gave Orton a hyped up version. Taylor gave the champ’s introduction, dampened by the boos of the WWE Universe in attendance.
Before the match started, McAfee rushed Rhodes in an attempt to kick things off for his ally. The champ was up for the challenge, disposing of Orton and fighting back.
Rhodes put McAfee on the announce table for Jelly Roll, who hit an elbow drop off one announce table and through the other. Jelly would instruct his friend to give the crowd the one-on-one battle that the crowd came to see.
For fans of old-school wrestling, you won’t see a better collar-and-elbow tie-up to start a match. The first few minutes were actually a great mat-based showing, something one may not expect if they only saw the bloody finale. Rhodes worked a back issue on Orton throughout, which they did well to integrate into the storytelling of the brawl.
The WWE Universe could see the color coming from a mile away. It couldn’t have been any more obvious when Orton put the blade in his hand, or that he was about to get thrown into the ring post to use it. Rhodes gained control and kept raining down blows on the cut, which had the crowd booing him even louder.
Recycling a trick from earlier in the night, this was the second match of the evening where both stars used their opponents’ finisher for a false finish. The level of their reversals, however, was unmatched. Numerous exhilarating reversals led to believable false finishes.
At one point, Rhodes poked Orton in the eyes, who then hit the referee with an RKO because he couldn’t see. The American Nightmare then reversed a low blow into one of his own.
Rhodes went for his Cody Cutter, but it was reversed into an RKO. Too bad for Orton, there was no conscious referee. Enter McAfee in a referee’s shirt, but the champ had regained enough energy to kick out.
Orton wasn’t pleased with McAfee and decided to hit him with an RKO. The dysfunction was all Rhodes needed, and one Cross Rhodes later, the match was over. That said, The Viper wasn’t finished. He stole the belt from Rhodes as he held it up in celebration, and proceeded to bash him in the head with it.
It didn’t end there, as Orton hit his signature punt kick on the struggling Rhodes. The Undisputed WWE Champion was bloody and lifeless as his opponent stood over him, holding the title he failed to win, high in the sky, to end the event.
Because of the results, McAfee is now banished from WWE, but where does it leave the combatants? Is this a long-term injury for Rhodes, or is the perhaps just to set up Backlash?
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