Will ‘The Viper’s’ Actions at SummerSlam 2026 Finally Lead to a Cody Rhodes Heel Turn?
During the Undisputed WWE Championship match between CM Punk and Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam 2026, ‘The American Nightmare’ seemed poised to recapture the gold. Just as he was ready to put the match away, a returning Randy Orton made his way towards the ring and RKO’d his former Legacy partner, allowing Punk to pick up the win to retain the title. There’s no doubt that Rhodes will look to get payback against ‘The Viper’ for his actions, but what if his search for vengeance leads him to go down a heelish path? Could Orton’s interference somehow lead to Rhodes finally embracing his dark side?
The feud between Orton and Rhodes began back at Elimination Chamber 2026, when ‘The Apex Predator’ took advantage of a distraction after Drew McIntyre entered the match and attacked Rhodes, preventing him from challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Orton won the match and earned a world title opportunity at WrestleMania 42. Rhodes would get an opportunity at McIntyre’s world title a few days later, and ‘The American Nightmare’ would take full advantage of the opportunity, winning the title and setting up a world title match against his former stable partner. Rhodes let Orton know that he shouldn’t take it easy on him despite their past friendship. This led to Orton turning heel and brutally attacking him, leaving him a bloody mess. The buildup to the match suddenly turned sour when Pat McAfee was inserted into the program, assisting Orton and preparing him for his world title match.
This moment led to many fans questioning if celebrities were too involved in the WWE storylines leading up to WrestleMania 42, and WWE must have heard them, because in the main event of night one of WrestleMania 42, Orton RKO’d McAfee, essentially booting him from his side. This moment led Rhodes to take advantage and put Orton down with Cross Rhodes to win the match and retain the title. After the match, Orton hit Rhodes with the title and delivered a devastating punt kick, knocking out ‘The American Nightmare’ and leaving him in a pool of his own blood once again. ‘The Legend Killer’ disappeared from WWE television and wouldn’t appear again until he attacked Rhodes at SummerSlam 2026.
Ever since WrestleMania 42, Rhodes has been through a lot, from constant ambushes by Gunther to ending a friendship with Sami Zayn out of jealousy. ‘The American Nightmare’ went on to lose the title at Night of Champions 2026 after being pinned by ‘The Last Real Good Guy’. After receiving a rematch for the title, Rhodes was put out of action following another attack by ‘The Ring General’. He had to watch as Punk took his place and won the title off Zayn. Rhodes finally got that world title match he asked for but would once again fall short due to outside interference.
While feuding with Orton, Rhodes was tempted by ‘The Viper’ to find his inner demon and display a darker side of himself. Although Rhodes initially declined, he displayed a more aggressive side during his WrestleMania match, doing whatever it took to keep the title. Now that Orton has targeted Rhodes once again, he could use that as fuel to push Rhodes deeper into desperation. ‘The American Nightmare’ will try to do whatever it takes to go after the world title again, and with Orton and others continuously making his life a living hell, it’ll only be a matter of time before Rhodes decides enough is enough. He has been the face of WWE for the past few years, presented as a proud babyface, but even the biggest babyfaces reach a breaking point. Rhodes can only hold his frustration in for so long, and if Orton plays his cards right, he could unlock the Homelander version of Rhodes that has been hidden inside of him for so long.
