Cody Rhodes may have left WrestleMania 42 with his title intact, but he certainly didn’t leave unscathed.
In the main event of night one, “The American Nightmare” successfully retained the Undisputed WWE Championship by defeating Randy Orton in a hard-fought showdown. However, the closing moments of the match painted a very different picture of dominance.
Late in the bout, Orton countered a Cody Cutter attempt with a perfectly timed RKO, halting Rhodes’ momentum in dramatic fashion. When the cameras returned to Cody moments later, he was visibly busted open, with blood pouring from his face.
Still, the champion refused to stay down.
Despite the damage, Rhodes managed to regroup and ultimately connected with the Cross Rhodes to secure the victory and retain his title on “The Grandest Stage of Them All.”
But the punishment didn’t end there.
After the match, Orton snapped, striking Rhodes with the championship belt before delivering a vicious punt kick that left the champion laid out in the ring.
That escalated quickly.
The fallout continued into the post-show, where Rhodes was shown being evaluated by medical personnel. His condition appeared serious, with his left eye swollen completely shut following the brutal encounter.
As a result, Rhodes was pulled from his scheduled appearance at WWE World on Sunday due to the injuries he sustained during the match. Additionally, Peter Rosenberg noted during the post-show coverage that Rhodes is expected to undergo concussion protocol.
