With Randy Orton returning to his iconic heel persona ahead of WrestleMania 42, his showdown with Cody Rhodes has quickly become one of the most talked-about storylines in WWE. After the shocking moment on SmackDown earlier this week, where Orton turned on his former protege, fans expected the rivalry to headline the show of shows. However, early plans reportedly never had ‘The Viper’ slotted for a main-event title match. The heel turn stunned the WWE Universe, but the creative direction behind the rivalry appears to have been different from what many anticipated.
Back at Survivor Series 2025, an intense staredown between Roman Reigns and Rhodes fueled speculation that the two rivals would complete their trilogy at WrestleMania 42. In fact, WWE had also considered that possibility at the time. But a series of unforeseen developments ultimately pushed both stars onto different paths heading into the event.
Original Plans Had Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns Inside Hell In A Cell
As Roman Reigns positioned himself for another shot at the top prize, he won the Royal Rumble 2026. However, instead of pursuing the WWE Championship, which was held by Drew McIntyre at the time, Reigns chose to challenge CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Prior to that decision, reports suggested that WWE had a significant interest in booking Cody Rhodes vs. Reigns for a third time, with the groundwork seemingly laid during Survivor Series 2025.
According to Dave Meltzer in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE had even discussed the possibility of staging Reigns vs. Rhodes inside Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania 42 before plans ultimately shifted.
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Plans changed immediately after the shoulder injury suffered by Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel Perth, and the decision was made to put the title on McIntyre, who ultimately lost it to Rhodes. With Rollins being out of the picture, Reigns stepped in to take on Punk, whereas Orton stepped in to challenge ‘The American Nightmare’ for the Undisputed WWE strap.
WWE Aims To Add Several Stipulation Matches For WrestleMania 42
As WrestleMania season is in full swing, the company is aiming for a revamped approach for this year’s card and is coming with several big changes in order to deliver a top-notch event.
One such tweak is regarding the match presentation, and WWE is exploring new ways to elevate announced matches. This might include several stipulations being added and creative hooks designed to make certain matches feel a bit more hyped and elevated.
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The WWE Championship situation has also seen a rollercoaster ride so far, with initial plans revolving around Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns to Drew McIntyre getting a championship reign in between.
As the company looked to go in a different direction by bringing Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes to the table, fans are pretty much invested in this shift and are looking forward to witnessing ‘The Apex Predator’ getting into his signature heel personality and dark persona ahead.
