Dave Meltzer: WWE Expects Fans To Cheer Randy Orton Over Cody Rhodes At WrestleMania

Friday's edition of "WWE SmackDown" saw the heel turn of Elimination Chamber winner Randy Orton on his now-former friend and Legacy stablemate, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, ahead of their title match at WrestleMania 42. During the turn, which saw Orton viciously beat down Rhodes, causing him to bleed, fans cheered "The Viper." According to Dave Meltzer on the most recent edition of "Wrestling Observer Radio," that's something that officials in WWE imaged would happen.

"I still expect Randy Orton to get cheered at WrestleMania... Everyone's expecting it," Meltzer said. "Including WWE, don't kid yourself. They want Randy to be the heel. It's tough, when you've got a guy who's in his mid-40s and has been around for 25 years on top... You have that thing where people don't really want to boo you because they've seen you for too long and they appreciate you."

Orton is headed into his 21st WrestleMania match, in search of his 15th world championship of his career. While his contract signing with Rhodes at the end of "SmackDown" started out respectful, things took a turn and Orton bloodied the champion with the steel steps.

At one point, Orton's SummerSlam 2025 tag team partner, Jelly Roll, jumped the barricade to attempt to calm down "The Viper," but was shoved to the ground for his troubles. Orton sat in the ring, the Undisputed WWE Championship belt in his hands, to end the segment as the show went off air.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.