Randy Orton May Have Confirmed Cody Rhodes’ Character Shift
Cody Rhodes has long been WWE’s top baby face, the golden boy who always tried to win fair and square.
However, after coming up short against John Cena at WrestleMania 41 and losing the Undisputed WWE Championship, fans have started noticing a shift. The American Nightmare’s hesitation to bend the rules may have cost him the biggest prize in the game.
And now, following his controversial King of the Ring win at Night of Champions, signs point to a change in his approach. Even Randy Orton might have confirmed it.
Randy Orton’s Words Hint at Cody Rhodes’s Change
On the Notsam Wrestling podcast, Sam Roberts analyzed Randy Orton’s post-match comments on the July 4 edition of Friday Night SmackDown and suggested they tell a deeper story.
“What is Randy now saying Cody did not do? He didn’t hesitate. So in that statement, one, I read that Randy is telling us Cody has learned his lesson from WrestleMania. And number two, that if we see the stuff that Randy’s doing as Randy is hearing voices, then we can read the stuff that Cody is doing as this is a different Cody. Listen to the words. Listen to the words that the wrestlers say. They are telling you the stories. Everything counts.” (30:35 – 31:12)
“Promise me you will not squander this opportunity.”
What do you say, @CodyRhodes? Can you keep that promise for @RandyOrton? 👀 pic.twitter.com/hbZ7jKHBGX
— WWE (@WWE) July 5, 2025
Cody Rhodes defeated Randy Orton in the tournament finals using a strategy that would’ve been unthinkable months ago. The Viper had exposed the turnbuckle during the match, but Rhodes took full advantage.
He drove The Apex Predator’s head into the steel, then hit Cross Rhodes to secure the win. With this win, Rhodes earned a shot at John Cena’s Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam.