Randy Orton Takes Down Cody Rhodes in Epic WWE Showdown at WrestleMania!
According to Dave Meltzer, even following his heel turn on "WWE SmackDown," WWE expects fans to cheer Randy Orton over Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42.
Randy Orton goes to throw Cody Rhodes out of the ring during their contract signing for WrestleMania 42 on an episode of "WWE SmackDown. " - WWE Friday's edition of " WWE SmackDown " saw the heel turn of Elimination Chamber winner Randy Orton on his now-former friend and Legacy stablemate, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, ahead of their title match at WrestleMania 42. During the turn, which saw Orton viciously beat down Rhodes, causing him to bleed, fans cheered "The Viper.
" According to Dave Meltzer on the most recent edition of " Wrestling Observer Radio ," that's something that officials in WWE imaged would happen. "I still expect Randy Orton to get cheered at WrestleMania... Everyone's expecting it," Meltzer said.
"Including WWE, don't kid yourself. They want Randy to be the heel. It's tough, when you've got a guy who's in his mid-40s and has been around for 25 years on top...
You have that thing where people don't really want to boo you because they've seen you for too long and they appreciate you. " Orton is headed into his 21st WrestleMania match, in search of his 15th world championship of his career. While his contract signing with Rhodes at the end of "SmackDown" started out respectful, things took a turn and Orton bloodied the champion with the steel steps.