Cody Rhodes Responds to Fans Popping for Randy Orton Over Him

Randy Orton is taking on the heel role as we head toward his bout against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42. But "The Viper" isn't really generating a ton of heat from WWE fans despite his over-the-top violent behavior of late.

This hasn't gone unnoticed by the current Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes. Rhodes recently made an appearance on Busted Open Radio, and during the conversation, Rhodes explained his feelings on the relationship Randy Orton has with the WWE audience.

Cody Rhodes addresses audience reactions

As you may have guessed, Rhodes tows the company line for the most part. When asked about fans cheering for Orton over himself, "The American Nightmare" said:

“I don’t take it personally. I think maybe when I was younger I did. And certainly, there’s no absolute in that, I’m sure some things kind of slip through the armor a bit and you feel it. But my thought in terms of fans, today, more than ever, is that we are out there and whatever their emotional need is, if they need to cheer for you, if they need to cheer for him, if they need to yell at you, I can’t put a governor on that, and I will not."

Cody Rhodes versus Randy Orton for the Undisputed WWE Championship will be a main event matchup during WrestleMania weekend. The duo's friendship turning sour is a heavy focal point, and fans seem to be split somewhat evenly on who they're rooting for in April.

NO TIME FOR TALKING! 👊@RandyOrton @CodyRhodes pic.twitter.com/tjP3D2kDAw
— WWE (@WWE) March 28, 2026

But Cody acknowledges every fan has the right to choose their side.

“I can’t be angry at them, whatever it is they need. If they’re cheering for Randy as he seeks 15 even with the things he did, okay. I’m not there to try and tell you you’re wrong or right. There’s no wrong way to be a fan. So right now, it hasn’t got to me. I’ll be honest, sometimes maybe it will. But right now? No.”

What night will Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton battle at WrestleMania?

We still have a few weeks to go for this Rhodes and Orton feud to escalate even further. Rhodes got the better of Orton on Friday Night Smackdown this week. But "The Apex Predator" will certainly aim to return serve in the coming weeks.

As for when the pair will formally go toe to toe, WrestleMania 42 takes place on April 18 and April 19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. WWE has yet to unveil exactly what each night's lineup will look like, but rumors point to Orton v. Rhodes headlining the Saturday night card.