Cody Rhodes Beat Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42: Did the Right Man Win?

[Taker92]

Cody Rhodes retained the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42, but the post-match angle may matter more than the result. Orton attacked Cody after the match and left him laying with a punt kick, turning the win into a bigger story rather than a clean celebration. A lot of people probably expected Cody to retain, but Orton standing tall at the end suggests WWE is not finished with this rivalry yet

[IronQuarry48]

Cody winning made sense because taking the title off him here would have felt too early, but Orton getting the last word was the right hook for the next chapter

[QuantumLeap]

I thought Orton had a real chance because the mentor versus student story was strong enough to justify a shock title change. In the end, Cody retaining keeps the belt stable while Orton still looks dangerous

[QuietNomad]

The punt after the match is what gives this feud legs. If Cody is out or selling the injury, Orton can spend weeks saying he did what nobody else could do

[Finley]

Where it goes next depends on whether WWE wants one more match or a longer chase. Cody versus Orton at a big Saudi or summer show feels very possible

[Matthew80]

Nah, a rematch definitely works if they lean into the slow burn, though I agree Cody retaining was the right call for the current landscape. The real question is how they protect Orton coming out of this. You can't just have him lose clean on the grandest stage and drift back into the midcard vortex. Give me a multi-man feud over the summer where Randy just starts snapping on everybody out of sheer frustration, costing Cody matches along the way. That way, the eventual third match actually has some genuine chaotic energy behind it.