News

John Cena Predicts Winner Of Randy Orton Vs. Cody Rhodes WWE WrestleMania 42 Match

By Sridhar Krishnan • Published Apr 18, 2026 15:53 EDT
randy orton cody rhodes wwe pat mcafee
Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton WrestleMania 42 - Source: WWE.com

Former WWE Champion John Cena has weighed in on the Randy Orton-Cody Rhodes rivalry.

Both Orton and Rhodes have been feuding for a month since The Viper turned heel during the March 13 episode of SmackDown.

Following their official contract signing for a title match at WrestleMania, the 45-year-old viciously beat The American Nightmare, making him bleed by hitting the steel steps on his forehead.

At the same time, Orton also destroyed Rhodes’ friend and WWE star, Matt Cardona. The 14-time champion had also been speaking to a mystery person on the phone, which was ultimately revealed to be former NFL star Pat McAfee.

Since then, McAfee has called out the WWE for its poor ticket sales during his in-ring promos, which reportedly left a bad taste in other wrestlers’ mouths backstage.

The likes of CM Punk and Damian Priest labelled his involvement as shambolic, but the storyline has continued with him remaining its integral part.

McAfee has also vowed that if Randy Orton did not win the WWE Championship for the 15th time, the fans would never see him in the company again.

Elsewhere, John Cena, who retired from wrestling in December 2025, has finally given his prediction for the Night 1 main event match.

John Cena Backs Randy Orton Against Cody Rhodes

In his 23-year-long career with WWE, John Cena faced numerous challengers, two of whom were Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes.

Cena and Orton had multiple intense feuds during the 2010s, where both superstars were at the peak of their respective careers.

While they never competed in a singles match at WrestleMania, both Orton and Cena were featured in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 24, including Triple H. The match witnessed Orton retaining his WWE Championship by pinning Cena.

During Cena’s retirement tour last year, he turned heel for the first time in over 20 years at Elimination Chamber by turning on Cody Rhodes.

He then went on to defeat Rhodes to become a record 17-time WWE Champion at WrestleMania 41. Their feud ended at SummerSlam, where they competed in a Street Fight. The match lasted nearly 40 minutes, with Rhodes emerging as the winner and the new champion.

A few weeks earlier, it was also announced that John Cena would be the host of WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, he was asked who he had picked as the winner between Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes. To this, Cena replied that he would never bet against The Apex Predator.

I gotta think about that. I can’t bet against Randy Orton. Just ’cause, I mean, I’ve known him for so long. I’ve known both of them for so long, and I’ve been in a similar position as a mentor for Cody, a teacher for Cody, somebody Cody wanted approval from. It didn’t really matter. The kid’s a success anyway. I just think Randy’s got something to prove. I know what it feels like to say, like, “Oh, yo, I want 17. I’ll do anything to get it. Cody was the guy I took it from. Randy’s got that vibe about him. That’s pretty special.