Summary

Ted DiBiase Jr. was reportedly never seriously considered for involvement in the Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes program at WrestleMania 42.

Fan speculation picked up because DiBiase Jr. was in attendance for the show and has long-standing history with Orton from their time together in Legacy. Instead, the WrestleMania story stayed focused on Orton's issues with Rhodes and the Undisputed WWE Championship match that played out on Night 1.

That wider fallout continued into the weeks after the event, including WWE's April 10 SmackDown lineup announcement, which also leaned on the tension between Rhodes, Orton, and Pat McAfee.

Why DiBiase Jr. Came Up

DiBiase Jr.'s name was a natural one for fans to bring up once he was spotted at WrestleMania. His history with Orton made a surprise appearance easy to imagine, especially with WWE leaning on past relationships in major stories from time to time.

But this update makes clear there was no serious creative push to bring him into the match program. Even with that Legacy connection, WWE did not plan to use DiBiase Jr. as part of the Orton-Rhodes storyline.

What This Means For Randy Orton And Cody Rhodes

For Orton and Rhodes, this report points to a straightforward takeaway: WWE wanted that WrestleMania feud to stand on its own rather than add a Legacy callback. DiBiase Jr.'s attendance may have fueled chatter, but the actual program remained centered on Orton, Rhodes, and the title stakes around them.

It also means fans should view the speculation as just that. There was history there, but not an actual WrestleMania creative direction involving DiBiase Jr.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.