WWE SmackDown’s March 13 episode ended in chaos after Randy Orton turned heel on champion Cody Rhodes, setting up the mouth-watering title match at WrestleMania 42. In an unexpected turn of events during the show’s main event, which was a contract signing between the newly-crowned champion Cody and , The Viper turned heel, shocking the Mortgage Matchup Centre in Phoenix, Arizona.
Besides this, Drew McIntyre, who conceded his title to Rhodes on last week’s episode, was clearly done with creative’s booking, and quit WWE, only to return later and attack Jacob Fatu.
Tensions rose massively as Cody and Orton headed for SmackDown’s main event. A contract signing between the two, student versus mentor, changed the WrestleMania 42 vibe, with Jelly Roll, friends with both, sitting on the sidelines and waiting for hell to break loose on Cody Rhodes.
As the fans chanted their favourite superstars, both in this case, Cody and Randy sat down across the table, with Cody breaking the ice and speaking about what everyone wanted to hear. Rhodes walked the fans through his history with Orton, adding how he always stood beside him. Cody then signed his contract.
Randy, who was visibly unhappy with the overall situation, having thought of McIntyre as his opponent at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, shook hands with Cody before unleashing a vicious attack on him, shocking the WWE universe. He not only threw him around and out of the ring, but also tore apart his shirt before slamming the steel steps to tear open his head.
A massive heel-turn for Randy upped the stakes of this title match at the Show of Shows.
After Orton also shrugged off SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis during the segment, who was earlier involved in a heated exchange with McIntyre, Randy held the WWE Undisputed Championship while sitting inside the ring, hinting at winning his 15th world title in the company’s history.
Drew quits WWE
Still reeling from his loss to Rhodes last week, Drew McIntyre released his frustration on Aldis on Saturday’s SmackDown episode, later announcing that he is done with this place and he quits WWE.
With what all unfolded this time, the road to WrestleMania 42 got wilder, with plenty of action to follow in the coming weeks.