Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania 42 victory celebration didn’t last long.
And now the Undisputed WWE Champion is sidelined.
After defeating Randy Orton to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship in the night one main event of WrestleMania 42, Rhodes was blindsided in a shocking post-match attack.
Orton ambushed “The American Nightmare,” striking him with the title belt before delivering a vicious punt kick.
The fallout was immediate.
WWE later released backstage footage showing Rhodes being evaluated by medical personnel, with his left eye visibly swollen shut following the assault.
An update was provided during the WrestleMania 42 Kickoff show on April 19, where Jackie Redmond revealed that Rhodes has not been medically cleared due to an orbital injury.
She also noted that Rhodes required staples in the back of his head, and there is currently no timetable for his return.
That’s a serious setback.
As a result of the injury, Rhodes was pulled from his scheduled appearance at WWE World on April 19.
It’s worth noting that the damage to Rhodes’ eye reportedly stemmed from a punch delivered by Orton during their WrestleMania main event, which connected flush and contributed to the injury now keeping the champion on the shelf.
