WWE’s big story between Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes is in trouble. Fans are cheering Orton even after he attacked Rhodes, and that reaction is changing how the story plays out ahead of WrestleMania 42.
What happened on SmackDown
On the March 13 episode of SmackDown, Randy Orton attacked Cody Rhodes and left him bloodied. The attack ended the show and set up a match between Orton and Rhodes for WrestleMania 42 night one.
Before that, the main event scene on SmackDown was messy. Drew McIntyre had the WWE Championship, but Orton won the Elimination Chamber and was being positioned to face McIntyre. Then Cody Rhodes beat McIntyre on a later episode to win the WWE Championship. That change put Rhodes back in the title picture and on course to face Orton.
Fans are cheering the heel
Instead of booing Orton for his violent actions, many fans have cheered him. They cheered when he explained his actions in a promo. They cheered again when he attacked Matt Cardona. This reaction makes it hard for WWE to sell Orton as a true villain to the wider TV audience.
Part of the reason is Orton’s long history. Fans love his Viper character and his work as a top heel. Many fans are enjoying the ruthless Orton they see now. Another part is Cody Rhodes. Since finishing his story at WrestleMania 40, his character has not changed much. Some fans feel his booking has been lazy, so they are less invested in booing Orton and more likely to cheer him.
How this breaks the story
WWE plans storylines that rely on fans reacting in a certain way. When the crowd cheers the supposed bad guy, the emotional impact of the story weakens. It becomes harder to make viewers at home believe Rhodes is the sympathetic hero who must be defended.
WWE now faces choices. They could lean into fan reactions and change the story. That might mean giving Rhodes a sharper edge or turning him heel. Or they could try to turn Orton on the fans in promos, forcing the crowd to boo him again. Either option will require quick creative changes before WrestleMania 42.
Wider context and fan culture
The shift in crowd behavior did not start with Orton. Fans refused to boo John Cena during his farewell last year, and many now treat big moments as chances to cheer talent they like, even if that talent is playing a villain. The Netflix show WWE: Unreal and public talk about wrestling being planned have made some fans more comfortable ignoring traditional rules of crowd reaction.
Across WWE, there are other big matches. On Raw, CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns is set for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42. That program appears more stable, while the Orton–Rhodes feud may need new direction because the live crowd is not playing the role WWE expected.
| Fighter | Recent Result |
|---|---|
| Cody Rhodes | Beat Drew McIntyre to win the WWE Championship on SmackDown |
| Randy Orton | Won Elimination Chamber; attacked Cody Rhodes on March 13 SmackDown |
UFCcoverage will watch how WWE responds. If the company adapts, the Orton–Rhodes match can still be a big WrestleMania moment. If fans keep cheering the heel, WWE may have to rewrite the story.
