The WWE has officially done something no one could possibly imagine. The fanbase was waiting so long for Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes to have another rivalry. Most of Rhodes’ career has been intertwined with Orton, with his first match coming against The Viper. From their first interaction in 2007, Orton and Rhodes have had partnerships and feuds that have been major parts of their wrestling careers.
As we approach WrestleMania 42, the WWE has posted throwback clips of past moments featuring both Rhodes and Orton.
This dynamic has now reached its pinnacle with their match being the main event of night one. Many would figure that these two have the capability of elevating this match to something cinematic. The sheer possibility of ruining this feud at the time would be hard to imagine. Leave it up to Triple H and creative to prove everyone wrong and kill all the hype of this match. We can now say that this has turned into a complete circus, with celebrities being the centerpieces of this story. Inserting Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll has done nothing but harm this buildup and has left people confused and furious.
After the most recent edition of SmackDown, it is safe to say that the booking for this rivalry has been an absolute disgrace.
When Orton finally snapped and attacked Rhodes during their contract signing, many fans were hyped on what would happen next. Sadly, this turned out to be the peak of what was supposed to be one of the best matchups at WrestleMania.
Since that time, Orton and Rhodes have yet to have a single back-and-forth on the microphone and have only brawled since. The most embarrassing part of SmackDown was that Rhodes was in a heated confrontation with none other than McAfee. Keep in mind, this is the second-to-last episode of SmackDown before WrestleMania, and you have the WWE Champion going back and forth with a celebrity.
It has been speculated that the CEO of TKO, Ari Emanuel, is responsible for this mess. The number one reason behind this thinking is due to the fact that Emanuel is McAfee’s super-agent. Combine that with WWE’s chief content officer, Triple H, foolishly saying people view McAfee as the face of WWE. When you put the pieces together, it sadly makes this rumor highly likely to be true.
A heel Randy Orton is known to be one of the most menacing people in WWE history. The fact that the WWE has decided to partner him with a celebrity and barely do anything savage after the Rhodes attack is quite dumbfounding.
Why is it that McAfee has free rein to flip off the crowd and insult people, but Orton has done nothing close to that? McAfee went as far as to take shots at the low ratings on SmackDown and even went as far as to insult Triple H.
All of this makes no sense whatsoever. The entire sequence made Orton feel like an afterthought as McAfee and Rhodes were at the center of this entire segment. What Orton decided to do was attack Jelly Roll and bring him out as bait to lure Rhodes into being attacked. We’ve already seen Orton hit Jelly Roll with an RKO to end a show; you mean to tell me Orton can do nothing else more twisted and evil? Attacking Matt Cardona and injuring his arm did not move the crowd either.
This is the same guy who handcuffed Triple H and kissed his wife, Stephanie McMahon, right in front of him. How is it that Drew McIntyre played more mind games with Rhodes than Orton has this entire road to WrestleMania?
To close this disaster of a segment, McAfee and Orton drive off with Rhodes’ title. What makes this even more comical is that McAfee is holding the belt, not Orton, who’s actually going after world title number 15.
If anyone thinks this is rock bottom, the WWE might prove everyone wrong if this is the next move. There have been reports that Backlash is set to feature a tag match with Orton and McAfee against Rhodes and Jelly Roll.
A large group of fans want Orton to dethrone Rhodes, but this now looks like the worst possible outcome. Given that McAfee proposed an ultimatum that if Rhodes wins, he will leave the company for good, there’s no way his exit would be that quick. There are still months to go before football season, and having a connection with Emanuel will only keep this going. Ironically, the backlash that the WWE is currently facing will only grow if this match comes to life.
No one asked for any celebrity to get involved in a match with the stakes this high. Everyone saw how bad Travis Scott’s appearance at WrestleMania 41 was last year, yet the WWE keeps forcing the issue with celebrities.
It’s understandable to include these people to put more eyes on the product, but not to this degree.
The fans are not happy in the slightest with what’s unfolding. Not only are the WWE discounting tickets to try and sell out Mania, but the dislikes on these segments continue to grow.
It is honestly sad to see that this is the current state of the product. Thinking that outside factors are needed to draw more attention to an Orton and Rhodes feud is such a miscalculation.
Anyone who watches the WWE knows that storytelling plays a major part in rivalries and character development. Being a great in ring performer is not the end all be all. Both of these wrestlers have the ammo to do so much with this rivalry. Unfortunately, it is now at the point where a majority of the fanbase could not care less about this match. The only thing that would ignite this rivalry again is having celebrities out of the picture once and for all.
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