New Title Contenders Emerge for Cody Rhodes at WWE SmackDown
During SmackDown in London, both Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre stepped up as future challengers for Cody Rhodes’ title.
The WWE championship picture got a whole lot more interesting during the March 28 SmackDown from London’s O2 Arena. Cody Rhodes opened the show addressing his upcoming WrestleMania 41 collision with John Cena, but didn’t get to enjoy the spotlight alone for long.
The London crowd went wild when Randy Orton made his entrance, even continuing to sing his theme after the music stopped. Orton started by giving Rhodes his flowers, crediting him with changing the wrestling business by leaving WWE years ago to blaze his own trail before returning.
Speaking with clear respect, Orton pointed out how ticket sales have jumped worldwide since Rhodes came back. After sharing some heartfelt words, Orton shifted gears to talk about kicking Kevin Owens’ head off at WrestleMania. He predicted Rhodes would leave Vegas still holding the gold, but made it crystal clear that post-Mania, he’d be hunting for world title number 15.
This lovefest didn’t sit well with Drew McIntyre, who crashed the party to a strong reaction. The Scottish star mocked the babyface bonding session happening in the ring and staked his own claim for a future title shot. McIntyre even took a personal shot at Orton, suggesting his back was hanging by a thread and threatening to break it.
Randy Orton has arrived and is about to confront Cody Rhodes. 👀
Listen to that POP from the crowd in London, holy shit. 🔥 #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/NAAFl22CYI— PW Chronicle (@_PWChronicle) March 28, 2025
Things heated up when McIntyre went after Rhodes, though the champion managed to fight him off. The segment wrapped with Rhodes and Orton standing tall while McIntyre backed away.
With WrestleMania just three weeks out, Rhodes already has a line forming for whoever walks out of Vegas with the gold.
