SUMMARY
- Cody Rhodes defended his WWE Undisputed Title against AJ Styles at Backlash 2024.
- Now, the company is seemingly keen on booking Rhodes against a massive superstar.
Cody Rhodes did the unthinkable when he defeated Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 to become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Meanwhile, following WrestleMania XL, Roman Reigns went on a hiatus from WWE television. With that, fans began wondering who would emerge as The American Nightmare’s first challenger.
Soon, it was announced that Cody Rhodes would be defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against AJ Styles at WWE Backlash 2024. At the Premium Live Event, which took place on May 4, 2024, Rhodes and Styles delivered an amazing match. However, the outcome of the match saw Rhodes defeat Styles to retain the title.
With that, fans are looking forward to The American Nightmare’s upcoming title defense. Meanwhile, reports about Cody Rhodes’ next opponent have come into the spotlight. Several sources have reported that WWE is planning a match between Cody and Randy Orton with the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on the line.
There are talks within the WWE for this match to take place at this years #SummerSlam#WWE pic.twitter.com/BrhTqpsooW
— Sbake (@SbakeDesigns) May 7, 2024
Also, many sources have reported that the match between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton might take place at WWE SummerSlam 2024. In that regard, it is worth mentioning that SummerSlam 2024 is all set to take place on August 3, 2024, at the Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio.
Meanwhile, it is to be noted that there’s still no official confirmation of the match between Rhodes and Orton. However, if the Stamford-based promotion indeed plans to go ahead with the match, fans will surely be thrilled by the announcement and will look forward to it.
Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton will be a genius move by WWE
While several reports about Cody Rhodes’ match against Randy Orton have come into the spotlight, the Stamford-based promotion has yet to confirm the news. However, if the reports are indeed true, then the match between The Viper and The American Nightmare will be a genius move by WWE.
This is because Cody Rhodes previously ended Roman Reigns’ historic streak and became the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Thus, he gained a lot of popularity among the fans. Also, recently, in his first title defense, he successfully defeated WWE superstar AJ Styles. Thus, Rhodes gained a lot of momentum.
With that, as of now, Cody needs big rivals to keep his momentum going. Meanwhile, Randy Orton might be the perfect choice for Rhodes. This is because Orotn has been a prominent figure in the world of professional wrestling. Thus, a rivalry with The Viper will help Rhodes keep his momentum alive.
On the other hand, after Randy Orton made his return to WWE at the 2023 Survivor Series WarGames, he participated in several storylines. However, he failed to grab the spotlight. Previously, Orton, AJ Styles, and LA Knight faced Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble 2024 for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. However, Randy failed to win the title, as Roman retained it.
On the other hand, at WrestleMania 40, Randy failed to capture the WWE United States Championship from Logan Paul after the latter defeated Orton and Kevin Owens. Also, recently at WWE Backlash 2024, Orton and Owens lost to The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga) after interference from Tama’s brother, Tanga Loa.
It can be understood that Orton has lost consecutive matches at Premium Live Events. Thus, he has failed to grab the limelight. However, a match against the current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Cody Rhodes, might once again bring him to the spotlight.
In addition to that, since many superstars such as Seth Rollins, CM Punk, Rhea Ripley, and more, are currently out of action due to injury, WWE needs bigger names to keep the fans entertained. Meanwhile, pro wrestling fans might be excited to get a match between two fan-favorite wrestlers.
Thus, it can be understood that a match between Cody and Orton will not only be beneficial for both of them but will also be beneficial for business. Henceforth, if the match takes place at an upcoming PLE, it will be considered a breakthrough move by the largest wrestling promotion in the world.
The history between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton
While fans might look forward to a potential match between Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes, it is worth mentioning that they share a long history together. Previously, after Cody made his WWE debut, he was seen in a backstage segment with his father, Dusty Rhodes, and The Viper. During that, Orton introduced himself to Rhodes and slapped Dusty in front of Cody.
With that, Cody made his main roster debut, losing to Orton. Moving ahead, Rhodes, Orton, and Ted DiBiase formed a villainous stable named ‘The Legacy’. Together, they participated in several storylines and feuds. However, their unity didn’t last long, and the stable eventually broke up. This led to a triple-threat match between them at WrestleMania XXVI. At the match, Orton defeated Cody and DiBiase.
However, the feud between Rhodes and Orton continued. With that, they faced each other at Vengeance 2011, where Randy defeated Cody. Thereafter, in an episode of SmackDown, Orton defeated Cody in a street fight. This finally marked the end of their long-stretched feud.
Years later, at the 2023 Survivor Series: WarGames, Cody Rhodes announced the return of The Viper to the largest wrestling promotion in the world. Finally, Rhodes teamed up with Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, and Jey Uso to defeat The Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor, and JD McDonagh) and Drew McIntyre in the Men’s WarGames match.
In addition to that, after The American Nightmare defeated Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40, The Viper came out along with others to celebrate with Cody inside the squared circle. Thus, it can be understood that Rhodes and Randy are no longer bitter rivals, in fact, they have bonded and their friendship has grown over the years.
@CodyRhodes had his first match on Raw against @RandyOrton in 2007.
He was in the Legacy stable led by Orton from 2008-2010.
Orton welcomed him back when he returned to WWE in 2022.
Orton helps Cody celebrate his WWE title win in 2024 in the main event of #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/CRfx5ngROl
— ADAM O’DRISCOLL 🇮🇪 (@adamodriscoll) April 8, 2024
However, fans might love to see WWE reigniting the rivalry between the two Superstars. If that happens, with all the history and the friendship, the feud between The American Nightmare and The Apex Predator might prove to be an outstanding one.
With that, WWE Universe will look forward to an official announcement regarding an epic match between the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and the 14-time World champion.