Bully Ray Is No Longer Sure Cody Rhodes Vs. Randy Orton Has GOAT WWE Match Potential

The Cody Rhodes–Randy Orton storyline on "WWE SmackDown" has seen the addition of a few celebrities, which Bully Ray believes may prevent the WrestleMania 42 clash from becoming a classic.

Former WWE commentator Pat McAfee recently returned to WWE television and sided with Orton after landing a low blow on Rhodes. Previously, musician Jelly Roll also got involved in the storyline but received an RKO for his troubles. Ray stated on "Busted Open" that a great wrestling match should be one-on-one without outside interference.

"When you do insert those names [Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll], I do believe you diminish the ability to call it one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time," Ray explained. "To me, Flair-Steamboat or the match that brought us together, Omega-Okada, I think Cody and Randy had that possibility, the credibility of a world championship match, but when you throw other people in there, I'm not quite so sure."

Ray previously said that he's happy that Rhodes won the world title from Drew McIntyre to set up the WrestleMania match with Orton, but has had some reservations about the story heading into WrestleMania 42. The cheers Orton received after turning on Rhodes led him to believe that "The Viper" hasn't been accepted as a bad guy by fans, while he also found McAfee's promo — after assaulting Rhodes — problematic, arguing that both McAfee and Orton criticizing creative is not a good look.

McAfee's appearance on the April 3, 2026, edition of "SmackDown" will not be the last that WWE fans will see of him, as the former NFL punter has claimed that he will be back on WWE television soon. The match between Rhodes and Orton will be one of the highlights of WrestleMania 42 — with or without McAfee or Jelly Roll — and will take place on Night 1 of "The Show of Shows."