Cody Rhodes retained the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton in the Night One main event of WrestleMania 42, but new reports reveal the outcome was far from settled heading into the weekend.
According to Fightful Select, there was heavy internal consideration given to Orton winning the title at WrestleMania 42. The decision to keep the championship on Rhodes was ultimately made in the final weeks leading up to the show.
Bodyslam goes further, with sources indicating that Orton was initially scheduled to become the Undisputed WWE Champion at WrestleMania before the plan was changed within the last few weeks of the build.
The post-match angle that followed the main event appears to have been designed with the feud's continuation in mind. Per Bodyslam, WWE was already aware the rivalry between Rhodes and Orton was going to continue beyond WrestleMania, which is why the company ran a post-match segment to advance that direction rather than pulling the trigger on the title change at this point in the story.
Orton was chasing his 15th world title, which would have tied Ric Flair for second-most in WWE history, and Pat McAfee was in his corner with his wrestling television career on the line. The decision to keep the title on Rhodes suggests WWE sees more chapters left in this program before it ends.
