Andrew Ravens
Randy Orton may be heading into WrestleMania 42 in worse shape than anyone realized.
According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Orton is currently dealing with physical issues that could impact the outcome of his WWE Championship match against Cody Rhodes — and could ultimately prevent WWE from putting the title on him even if that was the plan heading into the weekend.
The narrative around the match had seemed to point strongly in one direction. During the April 10 episode of SmackDown, Pat McAfee delivered a promo stating that if Orton failed to defeat Rhodes, he would walk away from WWE entirely. That kind of stipulation typically functions as a near-guarantee of the opposite result, leading most observers to conclude Orton was walking out of Las Vegas as champion. Meltzer acknowledged as much in his report.
“Perhaps most notable in the McAfee promo is that he said that if Randy Orton doesn’t beat Cody Rhodes for the title, he will never do anything involving WWE again. Obviously, that is not happening. In fact, the only result, given that promo, that was almost completely clear is Orton winning.”
But Meltzer then introduced the detail that complicates that conclusion. “We were told that Orton is hurting, so there is a possibility that would change, as it would make no sense for Orton to win if he has to take time off, but McAfee’s statement came across like it’s as close to a lock as possible.”
The logic is straightforward. Putting the WWE Championship on a performer who then needs to step away from television creates problems for the title’s visibility and the programming built around it. Rhodes has been one of WWE’s most reliable constants at the top of the card, and handing the belt to Orton only to have him disappear from screens shortly after would undermine the momentum the championship has carried throughout this run.
That said, Meltzer’s report also notes that WWE’s plans beyond WrestleMania still appear to include Orton in an active role. The tag team match pitting Jelly Roll and Rhodes against McAfee and Orton remains on the books to headline Backlash on May 9 in Tampa, which suggests WWE is not currently planning for Orton to take an extended absence immediately following the event.
