WWE SmackDown results, grades (March 27): Randy Orton goes ballistic; new WrestleMania 42 matches set
Randy Orton upped the stakes for Cody Rhodes, the U.S. Title changed hands and WrestleMania 42 has a few new additions after an action-packed WWE SmackDown.
It was back to PPG Paints Arena — a regular WWE stomping ground — for this week's "WWE SmackDown", as the Road to WrestleMania 42 continued with a stop in Pittsburgh. With several big names set to appear, expectations were high that we might see some more ‘Mania matches confirmed. But would WWE deliver the goods in Pennsylvania?
Revenge of the nerd(s) Tonight's show kicked off with another Randy Orton segment, as "The Viper" stressed the importance of picking up title No. 15 in Las Vegas. The future Hall of Famer didn't get to cover much ground before Matt Cardona arrived and delivered a fine-looking punch as revenge for Orton calling him an “indie nerd” last week .
Orton didn't take the disrespect lying down, instead going backstage to demand that “SmackDown” GM Nick Aldis pit him against Cardona in tonight's main event, which the besuited general manager duly did. In the end, the bout ended with a clean victory for Randy Orton, rather than the violent beatdown for Cardona that I had been anticipating. .
@TheMattCardona was on a mission 😳 pic. twitter. com/CW975RzKzp — WWE (@WWE) March 28, 2026 .
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