Will ‘The American Nightmare’ Kick Randy Orton’s Head Off in 2026?

Cody Rhodes has been teasing a more edgy, heel-like persona since reigniting his feud with former mentor Randy Orton leading up to WrestleMania 42. This feud started over the Undisputed WWE Championship. Orton has been looking to win his 15th WWE Championship for a while, and Rhodes was the Undisputed WWE Champion at the time. ‘The American Nightmare’ was able to retain his title at this year’s edition of WrestleMania. Still, the night concluded with ‘The Viper’ unleashing a post-match assault that left his former protégé bloodied and with an injured orbital socket that left dark bruising and temporarily shut Rhodes’ eye for a few days. The two have engaged in a personal feud since.

Rhodes Keeps Threatening to Pull the Trigger

​Rhodes has been vowing to pull the trigger on Orton finally. ‘QB1’ is trying to prove he has the killer instinct to put down ‘The Legend Killer’, but he hasn't done so. The 14-time WWE Champion thinks his former protégé is a “good person” deep down, which is why the latter has yet to pull the trigger he’s promising to. Orton’s latest win against Rhodes at Sunday Night’s Main Event puts him in the mix for Sami Zayn’s Undisputed WWE Championship alongside Kevin Owens, Johnny Gargano, Gunther, Finn Bálor, and CM Punk. Will ‘The American Nightmare’ finally pull the trigger on his old mentor?

WWE Continues to Tease a Darker American Nightmare

​WWE has been slowly teasing a Rhodes heel turn for the past couple of months. This theory grew after ‘The American Nightmare’ said he’d kick Orton’s head off during his SmackDown interview with longtime WWE announcer Michael Cole. That video was posted shortly before this past episode of SmackDown, with ‘The Viper’ responding to that message with his own interview with Cole. The 14-time WWE Champion’s main message was that Rhodes isn’t like him and will never do whatever it takes to get to the top and reclaim the Undisputed WWE Championship. He’s mentioned how he’s always looked out for himself and himself only, stabbing backs left and right, and compromising his opponents to find any way to beat them for WWE gold. That’s where ‘The Viper’ nickname comes from: Orton strikes at everything and everyone, even if that person is a former mentor, an old friend, or a former protégé. He stops at nothing to get what he wants or achieve his goals. ‘The American Nightmare’ has teased some of this behavior recently, but he ultimately stops himself short before crossing the point of no return.

Orton Knows Exactly Which Buttons to Push

​ Nothing could frustrate the three-time WWE Champion more than watching his former mentor thrive while their rivalry remains unfinished. The 14-time world champion is already closing in on another Undisputed WWE Championship opportunity, leaving ‘The American Nightmare’ chasing both revenge and championship gold. ‘The Viper’ went up to Zayn in this past episode of SmackDown, saying that he’s waiting and ready whenever an opportunity at the Canadian’s championship reveals itself. Rhodes cut a promo later in the episode and vowed to kick his mentor’s head off his body. ‘The American Nightmare’ said he couldn’t promise that his former mentor would be the only one.

Survivor Series Could Finally Unleash the Punt

​Will Rhodes pull the trigger in 2026? It seems likely. WWE tends to preserve impactful moments like that for a premium live event like the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, or Survivor Series. The latter is coming up in a couple of months. WWE creative has enough time to develop the story of ‘QB1’ pulling the punt out on Orton at that PLE. They could tease it again at the upcoming Money in the Bank PLE. Rhodes might even miss the kick, leading to Orton getting another victory over ‘The American Nightmare’. This could build up the anticipation for Rhodes to finally hit the Punt Kick at this year’s Survivor Series. The crowd could cheer him for finally pulling the trigger he’s been claiming to pull. The three-time WWE Champion could show a darker side of him that doesn’t completely turn him heel. He called himself the greatest at winning in unwinnable positions, and this could be an unwinnable position that ‘The Golden Boy’ wins out of once again.

The Punt Kick Could Change Cody Rhodes Forever

The main takeaway from Rhodes’ last promo is that he might be the new face of the infamous Punt Kick. It’s the most protected move in WWE history. It’s never been kicked out of, and it's been used to write people off television or ensure Orton won a match. Punting Orton in the head doesn’t automatically mean Rhodes is turning heel; the context matters. Punting ‘The Viper’ now to win a match isn’t a heel tactic. Orton could start a babyface title run as the WWE legend every WWE fan gets behind; he already has that status somewhat. ‘The American Nightmare’ punting ‘The Legend Killer’ to prevent the latter from a 15th WWE Championship reign would solidify a heel turn. If Rhodes punts other main-event WWE babyfaces, we would truly see a new side of him that could lead to a heel turn.