WWE’s Plans For Randy Orton Revealed
Randy Orton officially turned heel on the March 13, 2026, episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown.
The moment happened during a contract signing segment with Cody Rhodes ahead of their match at WrestleMania 42. During the segment, Rhodes expressed his deep respect for Orton and even shook his hand. However, moments later, Orton suddenly snapped and smashed Rhodes’ face into the signing table.
The Viper followed it up with a low blow and brutally attacked his WrestleMania opponent on the steel steps, leaving Rhodes’ face crimson and officially cementing his heel turn.
WWE Expects Randy Orton To Get Cheered During His WrestleMania Match
Dave Meltzer recently addressed Orton’s heel turn on Wrestling Observer Radio and discussed WWE’s plans for him heading into WrestleMania. According to Meltzer, WWE could have easily gone with a babyface vs. babyface match between Rhodes and Orton at WrestleMania 42.
However, the company ultimately decided to take the storyline in a different direction. Meltzer explained that WWE fast-tracked the heel turn because they wanted to add more dramatic flair to the WrestleMania build.
Meltzer also noted that WWE fully expects Orton to receive cheers at WrestleMania despite turning heel recently, as the company believes the WWE Universe has a strong affection for the veteran superstar.
“It’s an interesting one. Because I still expect Randy Orton to get cheered at WrestleMania. I think everyone’s expecting it, including WWE, don’t kid yourself. But they want Randy to be the heel. It’s tough because when you get a guy in his mid 40s and he’s been around for 25 years on top…
You have that thing where people don’t really want to boo you because they’ve seen you for too long and they appreciate you and you’re not a d*ck to them anymore, even if you act like a d*ck. So, it’s hard. I think Randy Orton is way better as a heel than he is a babyface.
It’s a tough one but they wanted to put some conflict into it and they didn’t want to go in there with babyface (vs) babyface. I think they could have done babyface (vs) babyface first match and then done something to keep it going, but it’s WrestleMania – they wanted to get there now, so that was the angle.”