WWE in Chaos: Randy Orton’s Wrestlepalooza Match in Serious Jeopardy—Cody Rhodes to Blame?
Randy Orton has been locked in a heated rivalry with Drew McIntyre for over two months, but shocking new reports suggest that his highly anticipated Wrestlepalooza match may be in serious doubt.
On the August 22 episode of SmackDown, Orton struck McIntyre with a brutal RKO out of nowhere, setting the stage for their showdown. The two are officially scheduled to clash on SmackDown in Norfolk, Virginia, on September 12. But according to insider Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE’s plans for Wrestlepalooza have been thrown into chaos—thanks to Cody Rhodes’ Hollywood schedule.
Apparently, WWE wasn’t sure if Rhodes would be done filming Street Fighter before September 20, leaving major question marks about whether McIntyre would face Orton or Rhodes at the blockbuster event. Now that Orton vs. McIntyre has been announced for SmackDown, the belief is that WWE is saving Cody vs. McIntyre for Wrestlepalooza—pushing Orton out of the spotlight once again.
Meltzer explained:
“The Orton match was going to take place first, but they didn’t know if it would happen on the PLE. I was told they weren’t sure Cody would be back by the 20th. If he’s back, he’ll be on the card. If not, it was going to be Orton and Drew.”
This makes sense, as WWE is desperate to have Cody on the first-ever Premium Live Event under its new ESPN partnership.
Ric Flair Calls Randy Orton ‘Underutilized’
While Orton’s future remains uncertain, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair recently spoke to Complex and made a bold statement: Randy Orton is one of the most underutilized stars in the company.
“The only person who I think is close to Charlotte [Flair] in terms of in-ring timing and awareness is Randy Orton. Randy’s really underutilized. I don’t know why—maybe he made somebody mad along the way.”
Flair’s comments hit even harder given Orton’s history with him as a member of Evolution alongside Triple H and Batista.
With WWE seemingly prioritizing Cody Rhodes over Randy Orton, fans are now left wondering—will The Viper even make it to Wrestlepalooza, or is he about to be sidelined for The American Nightmare?
