Randy Orton broke character when he saw a heartbroken Roman Reigns leaving after WrestleMania XL loss
Randy Orton and Roman Reigns were involved in a heartfelt moment after the latter's massive loss to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania XL.
The Viper knows The Tribal Chief very well and has locked horns with him on multiple occasions in the past. Reigns targeted Orton immediately after The Shield's implosion in mid-2014, leading to a singles match at SummerSlam that year. Reigns won that night in what was his biggest victory at the time.
At WrestleMania XL, Cody Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns after a grueling Bloodline Rules match that involved several big names like The Rock, John Cena, Seth Rollins, The Undertaker, and more. After The Head of the Table lost, he headed backstage with Paul Heyman and The Rock. Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, and many others made their way to the ring at the same time to celebrate Rhodes' victory. While Orton made his way to the ring, he passed by a dejected Reigns. The Viper showed the latter respect by thumping his chest.
Check out the video below:
Roman Reigns is now on a WWE hiatus
Shortly after losing to Cody Rhodes at 'Mania, Reigns posted a video stating that he was ready for a fresh start. He also made it clear that he mourned his loss to The American Nightmare at The Show of Shows. Reigns had held the Undisputed WWE Universal Title for 1316 days before finally dropping it at WrestleMania XL.
As for Rhodes, he came back to WWE in 2022 with one goal on his mind: he wanted to finish the story and become the top champion. He worked tirelessly towards achieving his goal and faced many setbacks, the biggest one being his loss to Reigns at last year's WrestleMania. Rhodes didn't flinch this year and finally dethroned The Tribal Chief at WrestleMania XL. He now holds the most prestigious championship in WWE history.