Has WWE Reached the Point of No Return With Cody Rhodes?

The highly debated Undisputed WWE Championship Match has been made official for WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.

Cody Rhodes defeated Drew McIntyre, with an assist from Jacob Fatu, on Friday’s edition of SmackDown to reclaim the title.

That sets up a one-on-one match between Rhodes and 2026 Men’s Elimination Chamber winner Randy Orton as the WrestleMania 42 Night 1 main event at Allegiant Stadium on April 18.

Was it the right move?

The answer isn't as easy as it may seem.

Drew McIntyre’s disappointing title reign

From last September to Friday’s SmackDown, Rhodes and McIntyre had four singles matches for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Rhodes won at Wrestlepalooza in September, then again at Saturday Night’s Main Event in November.

McIntyre finally captured the title from Rhodes in a 3 Stages of Hell Match on the January 9 episode of SmackDown. And then Rhodes just won it back.

No longer bored at work pic.twitter.com/GMt3pqzgNg
— Drew (@DMcIntyreWWE) January 10, 2026

Timing is everything.

If ‘The Scottish Warrior’ wins the championship at Wrestlepalooza or Saturday Night’s Main Event, there’s an opportunity for a lengthier title run, perhaps ending at the Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber.

But by having McIntyre finally achieve his goal and then drop the title less than two months later, it doesn’t satisfy the vision that many fans had of a longer, well-deserved reign at the top.

However, it’s almost as if WWE saw the title swap timeline as a misstep with a recent creative shakeup, thus setting things off in a different direction for the biggest show of the year.

The biggest match WWE can do at WrestleMania 42?

And that’s where WWE it got it right. At least when it comes to what WWE and TKO executives value most.

There is one match that will push the most ticket sales and appeal to the largest audience.

That match is Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton.

The other options sound intriguing. Could McIntyre enforce his rematch clause to make it a Triple Threat Match? Sure. Throw Fatu in the mix for a Fatal 4-Way Match? Makes sense. Inserting Sami Zayn? Also possible with his character direction.

But for WWE, it’s unlikely that any of those alternatives match the appeal of a first-time Rhodes vs. Orton match at WrestleMania.

It’s fair to nitpick the twists and turns to get there, but from a business standpoint, it’s easy to understand why WWE thinks it made the right call, especially with the lower-than-anticipated ticket sales compared to WrestleMania 41 a year ago.

Rhodes vs. Orton. Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk. Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill. Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vaquer.

All one-on-one matches feature personal grudges with plenty on the line for each competitor.

It’s the “personal issues draw money philosophy” made famous by the late Jerry Jarrett.

And things are about to get personal between the champion and his close friend.

Is this the point of no return for Cody Rhodes?

One of the common complaints online is that deciding to do Rhodes vs. Orton now, six weeks from WrestleMania 42, doesn’t give the story the proper time it needs to encapsulate the history between the two superstars.

That’s a valid argument if the saga ends at WrestleMania.

But will it?

One would think that by choosing this route, the company knows what it has to do, and that’s explore the depths of both complicated characters for as long as necessary.

WrestleMania 42 may prove why that’s a non-negotiable.

Rhodes is going to get booed more than he’s been booed in a long time. He lost the Royal Rumble, lost in the Elimination Chamber, and yet was handed another title shot, which he used to dethrone McIntyre and enter WrestleMania as the champion.

Not only that, but he's the person (in storyline) who denied McIntyre a more noteworthy title run, and he’s set to face Orton, the lovable veteran chasing an improbable 15th World title win.

That’s a story people can get behind.

Will Rhodes' own story eventually lead him down the path that so many top stars before him have been on, from “good guy” to “bad guy," from hero to villain? It seems inevitable.

But to act as if Rhodes' win didn't garner a huge positive reaction from the Portland crowd would be disingenuous. Every single paying customer might not want to cheer him, but plenty still do. WWE will, and should, prioritize that over YouTube dislikes.

The online backlash to Rhodes dethroning McIntyre is glaring, but it isn’t everything. If it becomes a trend, it's worth paying attention to in both the short term and long term.

There was a time when the thought of turning Rhodes was laughable, but recent creative decisions may have changed that.

Shifting the theme from “can Cody Rhodes finish the story” at WrestleMania 40 to “can Cody Rhodes deny everyone else finishing their story” at WrestleMania 42 and beyond would be a fascinating tale.

From McIntyre to Orton to Fatu to Zayn, indeed, the opportunities are there to go all the way with Rhodes as an anti-hero.

But like it or not, many fans still love Cody Rhodes, the son of a plumber who returned to WWE to successfully achieve his dream.

There's a compelling story to tell on the road to WrestleMania 42, and how the crowd responds to Rhodes and Orton will determine whether SmackDown was a turning point.

And that answer could be why this match was the right move.