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Randy Orton RKO's Jelly Roll during SmackDown at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 27, 2026 in Pittsburgh.
WWE via Getty Images
WWE is trying really hard to make you dislike Randy Orton while also giving you a reason not to.
It’s the wild tightrope WWE is trying to walk in Orton’s feud with Cody Rhodes heading into their WWE championship match at WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 18.
Over the last three weeks, we have seen Orton leave his friend and protege Rhodes beaten and bloodied after their contract signing, smashed through the announce table like so many others on their road to WrestleMania. WWE pulled the trigger fast on Orton turning on Rhodes in what was an excellent segment, leaving them weeks of story to fill in.
Then we saw Orton break the arm of Rhodes’ close friend Matt Cardona, who WWE clearly views as a crowd favorite, but he’s only been back in the company for three months after being away for five-plus years. Is this WWE audience really emotionally invested in Cardona, who the crowd was chanting to see Orton attack again as he was being led away from the ring? Orton beat him in a match this week on top of it.
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