Randy Orton Breaks Character After Injuring Cody Rhodes At WrestleMania 42 [Watch]
Randy Orton inadvertently injured Cody Rhodes after their title match at WrestleMania 42.
On Saturday, April 18, both Orton challenged Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship in the main event, with Pat McAfee by his side.
The action kicked off before the bell rang, as McAfee blindsided Orton by hitting him with a microphone. He was, however, neutralized by the champion, who hit him with a Cross Rhodes.
Rhodes then kicked McAfee out of the ring and laid him on the announcer’s desk. His friend and Grammy Award-winning artist Jelly Roll appeared by the ringside and dropped an elbow on McAfee as they crashed through the table.
The former NFL star was soon stretchered to the back by other officials.
During the match, Randy Orton was busted open, with Cody Rhodes enduring a similar fate later on.
In the closing minutes, referee Charles Robinson got taken out, prompting McAfee to return, this time wearing a referee’s shirt. After failing a pinfall attempt, Orton dropped McAfee with an RKO.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Rhodes hit his finisher on The Viper for the victory.
His celebration, though, lasted only a few seconds as Orton snatched the title from his hands and hit him across the head with it. He then took a few steps back and nailed a vicious Punt Kick, which had been banned a few years ago.
Randy Orton Checks On Cody Rhodes After Their Match
The brutality of Randy Orton’s punt kick left Cody Rhodes with a cut and bruise above his left eye.
As a result, his scheduled appearance at WWE World on Sunday was canceled. Reports even claimed that the 40-year-old was placed in concussion protocol and was being monitored closely.
While viewers on Netflix and the ESPN App did not get to see their post-match interaction, a video shared online showed The Apex Predator checking on his fallen opponent.
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As of now, it is unclear whether or not The American Nightmare will appear on the April 24 episode of SmackDown in Fort Worth, Texas.
On the other hand, WWE interviewer Jackie Redmond expressed concern over the physical state of Randy Orton, who was reported to have been dealing with a bad back a few days ago.
Speaking on the WrestleMania post-show, Redmond noted that it took Orton nearly 10 minutes to walk up the ramp on his way backstage.
Meanwhile, Pat McAfee had also promised to never return to WWE if Randy Orton lost his match against Cody Rhodes. After being RKO’d by The Viper, it is clear that they will not have a cordial relationship on TV should McAfee return in any capacity.
On Sunday, April 19, Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi will kick off Night 2 of WrestleMania 42, whereas in the main event, CM Punk will defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns.
A total of 6 matches are scheduled for Night 2, with 4 championships on the line. Live action starts at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on the ESPN app in the United States and on Netflix worldwide.