WWE's creative plans for WrestleMania 42 have undergone major changes due to injuries to wrestlers like Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Seth Rollins.
In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer revealed that while WWE was always building to Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton, it wasn't originally set to go down on the Grandest Stage of Them All next month.
The idea had reportedly been for the match to happen after WrestleMania, with Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns both touted as likely opponents for the Undisputed WWE Champion before the shift to Orton.
Breakker's injury meant he couldn't face CM Punk, which is what led to Reigns becoming his challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship. As for McIntyre, he'll now face Jabob Fatu before taking some time off to shoot his role in Highlander.
During last night's SmackDown, Orton sat in the same dented chair he used to attack the American Nightmare and claimed that the love he's been showing fans has all been fake.
Despite that, he's still being heavily cheered, and WWE tried to do something about it in another brutal closing segment. The Viper brutally attacked Rhodes' friend, Matt Cardona, using a steel chair to injure the Superstar formerly known as Zack Ryder.
There's also a lot of intrigue surrounding the mystery figure Orton has been shown speaking to on the phone during RAW and SmackDown. Right now, many believe it could be Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, particularly after he attempted to be seen as a serious actor with The Smashing Machine, which failed to land him any sort of Oscar consideration despite good reviews.
"Randy and I have a lot of history. We could do a six-month program that leads to WrestleMania," Rhodes said last year. "There is a lot of meat on the bone. It was a different type of build here with the tournament, with a whole different set of stakes... I think we’ll get into our history down the road, too."
"This is uncharted and undiscovered in terms of what I envisioned for myself and WWE," he added. "For my time here, this is the cherry on top. It’s a really special time."
You can check out some highlights from SmackDown in the X posts below.