On the March 13 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Randy Orton turned heel on Cody Rhodes during their Undisputed WWE Championship contract signing for WrestleMania 42.
Following this brutal and bloody attack on Rhodes, Orton proceeded to attack Matt Cardona and Pillmanized his arm on the March 20 SmackDown.
With a heavy focus on Orton leading into his showdown with “The American Nightmare” at Mania, it will be interesting to see what is next from his heel character on Friday Night SmackDown heading into “The Showcase of the Immortals.”
Here are seven potential heel Randy Orton WWE plans before WrestleMania 42.
7. Match Against Matt Cardona
While Matt Cardona was laid out and potentially injured at the hands of Randy Orton, fans could see the former Zack Ryder make his return looking for revenge.
Cardona coming back with an injured arm could set up a match against “The Viper” in the weeks leading into WrestleMania 42.
This bout could be a true grudge match with Cardona wanting to injure Orton and even possibly take his place in the Undisputed WWE Championship bout at “The Show of Shows.”
A match with Cardona could be a nice way for Orton to further display his new heel persona and just what he is willing to do to someone who is Cody Rhodes’ friend.
6. Injuring SmackDown GM Nick Aldis
In the leadup to WrestleMania 41 last year, Randy Orton’s match against Kevin Owens was pulled from the card after it was revealed KO suffered a serious neck injury that required surgery.
This led to “The Legend Killer” delivering a RKO to SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis and seemingly setting the groundwork for a potential feud.
Many fans believed Aldis would compete in his first official WWE match against Orton at Mania, but it wasn’t meant to be.
After pushing down the SmackDown GM during his bloody beatdown on Cody Rhodes, Orton could go out his way to injure Aldis and take out the one authority figure on Friday nights.
5. Beating Down Sami Zayn
Since losing to Drew McIntyre at WWE Royal Rumble 2026, Sami Zayn has showcased his anger and frustration with his current place in the company.
This has led to some memorable backstage segments where Zayn has interacted with several top stars, most notably Cody Rhodes.
In one of those segments, Zayn approached Randy Orton for advice on how he was able to punch his ticket for WrestleMania 42 and hit the RKO on Rhodes in the Men’s Elimination Chamber.
Following weeks of his praise for Orton being someone he looks up to, Zayn could be the next victim of this new heel character for “The Legend Killer” as he attempts to take out anyone and everyone around him.
Click the next page button below for more
4. Brutal Attack On Jelly Roll
When he betrayed and brutally beat down Cody Rhodes on the March 13 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Randy Orton was approached by Jelly Roll, who he pushed down in a fit of rage.
This led to the following week where Orton apologized to Jelly and the country music star tried to talk some sense into the former 14-time world champion.
After this conversation, it looked like Jelly had gotten through to Orton, but he then proceeded to attack and injure Matt Cardona just moments later.
Orton potentially bloodying Jelly Roll could be an excellent way to show how much the voices in his head have gotten louder with “The Viper” betraying another friend.
3. Attacking Cody Rhodes’ Family
Ever since turning heel, Randy Orton has been getting cheer and praise from the fans with some referring to this version of him as the “2009 Orton.”
Back in 2009, Orton haunted the McMahon family with a series of attacks that saw him making their and Triple H’s lives a living hell heading into WrestleMania 25.
Now all these years later, “The Viper” could do the same thing to Cody Rhodes’ family to further gain the mental edge over the Undisputed WWE Champion.
Whether it be an attack on Cody’s nephews or even his wife Brandi Rhodes, Orton could truly embrace this darker version of himself by going after his rival’s family.
Click the next page button below for more
2. Invading Cody Rhodes’ Home
During their rivalry heading into WrestleMania 25, Randy Orton and Triple H took things to the extreme to get the better of one another.
In one noteworthy segment, Triple H invaded the home of Orton with his family there with him before attacking his rival.
Taking a page out of Triple H’s playbook, Orton could invade Cody Rhodes’ home and take things even more personal between the two.
Orton breaking into Rhodes’ home would also be a mirroring of Cody doing the same thing in his feud with Drew McIntyre just a few months ago.
1. Revealing “The Final Boss” The Rock To Be His Mystery Ally
On the March 16 episode of Monday Night Raw, Randy Orton was scheduled for an interview with Michael Cole on the show.
During the planned time for the interview, Orton was on the phone with a mystery individual who he stated gave him the guidance to turn heel on Cody Rhodes on the March 13 SmackDown.
Considering Orton’s line about “wrestling has more than one royal family,” this could indicate that this mystery ally could be someone with a wrestling family and has a past with Rhodes.
It makes a lot of sense if this mystery ally is revealed to be The Rock to continue the rivalry that has been simmering between Cody and “The Final Boss” over the past two years.
To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!
Comments.
Loading comments…