WWE Considered Ted DiBiase Jr.’s Return For Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes Storyline?
Ted DiBiase Jr. was an integral part of the Legacy faction in WWE.
The stable was led by Randy Orton, who had DiBiase and Cody Rhodes as his protégés. The purpose behind their formation was their multi-generational legacy, which was often interjected into storylines.
The faction operated from 2008 to 2010, during which Orton won 3 WWE Championships and won the Royal Rumble in 2009. Rhodes and DiBiase won the World Tag Team Championships twice.
During the course of the Legacy storyline, Orton ruled with an iron fist, even holding his stablemates accountable for any errors they caused.
The cracks between them initially developed at the 2010 Royal Rumble, where Randy failed to win the title from Sheamus after Cody interfered in their match, causing a disqualification.
After the match, Orton attacked both Rhodes and DiBiase. However, their alliance continued for a couple of months before Rhodes was moved to SmackDown during the 2010 Supplemental Draft.
WWE Did Not Consider Ted DiBiase Jr. For Randy Orton-Cody Rhodes Storyline
Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes had an intense rivalry in the lead-up to WrestleMania 42.
As a babyface, The Viper won the rights to challenge for Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship by winning the Elimination Chamber. However, he soon turned heel with a vicious attack on the champion during a SmackDown episode.
Following WrestleMania, Ted DiBiase Jr. shared a post on social media, which showed him attending the show in Las Vegas.
The post prompted many wrestling fans to speculate about DiBiase Jr.’s potential storyline with his former Legacy members.
Elsewhere, Fighful Select also confirmed that WWE never considered including the 43-year-old in the Randy Orton-Cody Rhodes storyline, which would have been nostalgic for viewers.
The report revealed that the company’s creative team did not consider DiBiase’s involvement in the storyline as necessary. At the time, DiBiase was also dealing with a legal situation, where he was accused of welfare fraud. He was recently found not guilty.
Furthermore, a few days before WrestleMania, while speaking on a podcast, Randy Orton claimed that Ted owed him $25,000, which did not show the latter in a positive light.
While DiBiase was not invited to the show directly by the Stamford promotion, some speculated that he might have secured access through sponsorship.
DiBiase Jr.’s father and Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase spoke about his son’s acquittal during an episode of his podcast while also discussing his potential return to the wrestling company.