WWE legend to win men's Royal Rumble for the third time, veteran says; to set up a match with Cody Rhodes after 11 years
Ever since Cody Rhodes came back to WWE, fans have been wondering when the current Undisputed WWE Champion will run it back with Randy Orton. Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently discussed a potential feud between the two friends.
The two stalwarts share a rich history that dates back to their time in The Legacy, a heel faction led by The Viper (From 2008-10) also featuring Ted DiBiase Jr., Manu, and Sim Snuka. The group didn't last long, but it helped put Cody Rhodes on the map.
Orton and Rhodes last wrestled each other in a singles match back in 2013, where The Apex Predator defeated The American Nightmare in a 'career on the line' match. A few weeks ago on WWE SmackDown, the two men came face-to-face backstage. Many fans thought WWE dropped a subtle tease for an inevitable feud.
Speaking on the Ryback TV podcast, The Big Guy entertained the idea of Randy Orton winning the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble Match to challenge Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania in Las Vegas:
"It could be. Yeah! That one could be very big if they timed that perfectly. I agree. I think that, I think Randy-Cody is money when they are ready to get into that and they don't need to rush that at all ... If Cody holds the title to WrestleMania next year, it'd be interesting to see if they let Orton win the Royal Rumble and kind of let that be the trigger to all of that. We'll have to see how they go into it when they eventually do. But I think that's definitely on the go, that's definitely on their board of storylines for Cody," Ryback said. (1:25:50 - 1:26:30)
Check out the full video below:
Will Randy Orton turn heel on Cody Rhodes?
Rhodes and Orton appear to be on the same page, but wrestling veteran Matt Morgan thinks The Viper must turn heel if the company were to pit the two former Legacy members against each other.
Speaking on the Gigantic Pop podcast, Matt Morgan explained why WWE needs to book a heel-babyface dynamic for a potential Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes feud:
"I'd rather have him just turn. Let's just get this going. It's the best dynamic, heel Randy-babyface Cody. Randy can pull from any of his past in this, from his Legacy days, where he was kinda that psycho and Cody intended his bidding. There's a lot to pull from there when you talk about Randy's career. And him dipping back into being a heel, maybe not one more time, but I think that's where he should go and I think it makes the most sense. Taking on Cody makes SummerSlam bigger," Morgan said.
The American Nightmare is currently embroiled in a renewed rivalry with AJ Styles, who faked his retirement to get back into the title picture ahead of the Clash at the Castle Premium Live Event.
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