There may be more uncertainty surrounding Randy Orton heading into WrestleMania 42 than originally expected.
With Orton currently slated to challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship on “The Grandest Stage of Them All,” new insight suggests the outcome may not be as clear-cut as some fans initially believed.
Especially following Pat McAfee’s recent on-screeen promise.
Writing in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter at F4WOnline.com, Dave Meltzer broke down the situation, pointing to McAfee’s promo from the April 10 episode of SmackDown as a key factor in shaping expectations.
“Perhaps most notable in the McAfee promo is that he said that if Randy Orton doesn’t beat Cody Rhodes for the title, that he will never do anything involving WWE again,” Meltzer wrote. “Obviously that is not happening.”
That line alone seemed to heavily hint at an Orton victory.
Or did it?
Meltzer went on to explain that while the promo made Orton’s win feel like a near certainty, there may be a complicating factor behind the scenes.
“In fact, the only result, given that promo, that was almost completely clear is Orton winning,” he continued. “We were told that Orton is hurting so there is a possibility that would change, as it would make no sense for Orton to win if he has to take time off, but McAfee’s statement came across like it’s as close to a lock as possible.”
A notable wrinkle, to say the least.
Despite that, Meltzer added that current creative plans still include Orton teaming with McAfee against Cody Rhodes and Jelly Roll in the main event of the May 9 Backlash premium live event. That would suggest there are no immediate plans for McAfee to exit WWE programming, or for Orton to step away anytime soon.
As always, plans can change, but for now, the WrestleMania 42 title picture may not be as predictable as it once seemed.
WrestleMania 42 goes down this weekend, with night one kicking off on April 18, and night two on April 19, live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. The Orton-Rhodes bout is scheduled to headline night one on 4/18.
