Backstage Details on Cody Rhodes Defeating Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42

Cody Rhodes defeated Randy Orton in the main event of WrestleMania 42 Night One to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship. The build to the match and the bout in itself were marred by the involvement of Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll, leading to immense criticism from fans, industry veterans, and even WWE talents.

As previously reported, Randy Orton was initially planned to win the title from Rhodes at ‘Mania before plans changed. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON), Dave Meltzer claimed that after Pat McAfee opted out of the storyline, the decision not to go with Orton as the winner was part of “all the chaos” taking place backstage on Saturday.

Meltzer claimed that some described the chaos as “like WCW,” although the decision to go with Cody Rhodes was made before Saturday. The report further adds that people in WWE believe that McAfee decided to opt out of the storyline not just because of the immense fan backlash, but also due to talents publicly expressing their reservations against his involvement in the feud.

He also added that after McAfee’s exit, a decision was made to build toward Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk and not go ahead with Randy as champion. Cody and Punk later teased a future match on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW.

"Just say when."

ANYTHING can happen in the future for @CMPunk and @CodyRhodes… 👀#RawAfterMania pic.twitter.com/ZgaPbprS8k

— WWE (@WWE) April 21, 2026