Could a “We Don’t Want Cody” social media campaign be on the way?
Recent online trends show it’s certainly possible!
Cody Rhodes’ latest championship victory has ignited a major backlash online, with many fans already calling it one of WWE’s most controversial moments of 2026.
During Friday night’s episode of SmackDown, Rhodes defeated Drew McIntyre in the main event of the evening, a match ordered by SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis at this past Saturday’s WWE Elimination Chamber premium live event.
“The American Nightmare” would go on to defeat “The Scottish Warrior” to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship and secure a WrestleMania 42 showdown with former fellow Legacy member Randy Orton.
The finish of the Rhodes-McIntyre bout has sparked a wave of negative reactions across social media and YouTube.
In addition to the commercial-free, hard-hitting action featured in the high stakes 3/6 blue brand main event, the match also featured several chaotic moments that added to the controversial fallout from fans.
Two referees were taken out during the action, while Jacob Fatu appeared to stop McIntyre from using a steel chair late in the match. There were also count-out situations that left fans frustrated rather than building excitement for the finish.
The full match upload on WWE’s official YouTube channel has been heavily downvoted in a short amount of time.
While the video has generated roughly 25,000 likes, the number of dislikes quickly surged past 90,000 shortly after being posted. Many commenters claimed they clicked on the video specifically to hit the dislike button and said they were considering no longer watching SmackDown.
As of this writing, the video is sitting at 25,197 likes compared to 96,537 dislikes, giving it a like-to-dislike ratio of just 20.70 percent. Based on the early response, the clip is already being labeled by fans as a potential contender for WWE’s most disliked video of the year.
Only a few years ago, removing Cody Rhodes from his consensus rightful spot in the WrestleMania main event in favor of a bigger star and more story-filled showdown in The Rock vs. Roman Reigns led to fan fallout in the form of the “#WeWantCody” movement, which ultimately led to plans being changed.
Could WWE soon find themselves in a similar reverse situation where fan support mounts in the opposite direction, with a potential “#WeDontWantCody” movement?
Time will tell!
WWE has announced a contract signing for the WrestleMania 42 showdown between Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and 2026 Men’s Elimination Chamber winner Randy Orton for next week’s WWE SmackDown. The YouTube like-to-dislike ratio on that particular segment will be interesting.
Interesting to say the least.
WrestleMania 42 is scheduled to take place on April 18 and April 19 from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com for live WrestleMania results coverage.
