Former WWE Champion fires brutal shots at Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton on SmackDown

Modified Mar 28, 2025 20:58 GMT

Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes (Picture Courtesy: SonyLiv 's live stream of WWE SmackDown)

A popular WWE Superstar took shots at Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton on the ongoing edition of Friday Night SmackDown. The show is currently underway inside the O2 Arena in London, UK.

The American Nightmare made his way to the squared circle to kick off the show. While the Undisputed WWE Champion was speaking about his upcoming WrestleMania match against John Cena, Randy Orton showed up to massive applause from the crowd. The Viper praised the 39-year-old for his hard work over the years before stating that he would be going after the title after Cody Rhodes' defense at The Showcase of Immortals. However, Drew McIntyre interrupted the two former stablemates and referred to them as 'nepo babies.'

The Scottish Warrior further fired shots at Orton, stating that the latter had done nothing to earn a shot at the title.

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For those unaware, both Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton come from popular wrestling families. While The American Nightmare, son of wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes, is a second-generation wrestler, The Apex Predator's grandfather Bob Orton Sr. and father "Cowboy" Bob Orton were also wrestlers.

The segment ended with Drew McIntyre fleeing out of the ring after a physical altercation with the two stars to set up a match for later in the night. The Scotsman will wrestle Randy Orton in a singles match.

About the author

Ankit Verma is a WWE news writer with over four years of experience in the writing field. He graduated with a Master’s degree in Physical Sciences, but his love and passion for writing and pro wrestling led him to create content about it.

He writes his articles putting himself in the readers’ shoes, making sure it’s as simply written, informative, and straight to the point as possible while being devoid of opinion. Ankit strives to present accurate information by ensuring the source is credible and cross-checking all facts and figures.

Ankit would have liked to have managed Kane during The Attitude Era, helping to take the Big Red Monster to greater heights than his brother/rival, The Undertaker. His favorite pro wrestler of all time is AJ Styles.

When Ankit is not writing for Sportskeeda, he enjoys spending his time studying astronomy and playing cricket.

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Edited by Debottam Saha