Summary

Cody Rhodes retained the WWE title against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42 Saturday, but the finish did not end the issue cleanly. After a match built around interference, counters and referee chaos, Rhodes pinned Orton with Cross Rhodes. Orton then attacked Rhodes after the bell and stood over him with the championship.

The match had outside involvement before it officially got going. Pat McAfee took a shot at Rhodes with a microphone, Rhodes answered with Cross Rhodes, and Jelly Roll followed by putting McAfee through the desk with an elbow drop.

Match recap

Once the match settled in, commentary pointed to reports that Orton was hurt, and Rhodes worked over his back. Orton still rallied with a superplex, but Rhodes quickly turned the momentum again by sending him into the ring post. That left Orton busted open, and Rhodes leaned into the edge of the moment by wiping Orton's blood across his own chest.

The closing stretch was loaded with each man's trademark offense. Rhodes used Orton's draping DDT, Orton countered an attempted RKO with Cross Rhodes, and both men survived RKOs from the other. The chaos escalated when Orton accidentally gave the referee an RKO. Orton then missed a low blow, Rhodes answered with one of his own, and another reversal-heavy sequence followed.

McAfee later returned in a referee shirt to count after Orton hit another RKO, but Rhodes kicked out. Orton dropped McAfee with an RKO as well, only for Rhodes to capitalize moments later with Cross Rhodes for the pin once the original referee recovered.

The bad blood going into the match had already been clear in Orton's final warning to Rhodes before WrestleMania 42, and the finish only pushed that story further.

Winner

Cody Rhodes defeated Randy Orton via pinfall with Cross Rhodes to retain the WWE title.

Randy Orton's attack keeps Cody Rhodes in the fire

Rhodes kept the title, but Orton got the last image of the segment. The post-match punt immediately gave this result a second layer, because Rhodes left with the win while Orton left with the heat.

That matters for WWE coming out of WrestleMania 42 Saturday. A clean retention could have closed the chapter, but Orton's attack gives this program a clear reason to continue if WWE wants one more major beat between them.

Sources

As reported by NoDQ.