Before starting their individual way in WWE, Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes were part of “The Legacy”, a faction led by Randy Orton, with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. as his protégés.
While the faction didn’t last long, Cody Rhodes eventually left WWE in 2016, while Randy Orton continued his “Viper” journey, cementing himself as one of the most influential wrestlers in the company.
When Cody Rhodes returned to WWE in 2022, many fans believed WWE would reignite the rivalries between the former members of The Legacy.
Despite their history, Randy warmly welcomed Cody back. Later, in 2025, the two finally faced each other in the King of the Ring final after each winning their respective Fatal Four-Way qualifying matches.
In that match, Cody defeated Randy to earn an Undisputed Championship opportunity at SummerSlam. This sparked speculation that Randy might betray Cody in an upcoming Premium Live Event.
Initially, many believed the betrayal could happen at SummerSlam or WrestleMania, but when it didn’t, attention shifted to Clash in Paris, where things could take a surprising turn.
Before WrestleMania 2025, Randy Orton came face-to-face with Cody Rhodes in the SmackDown ring. He clearly stated that he respected Cody and was proud of him, but also made it clear that he would soon come for the title. Randy said:
But after all the smoke clears and the dust settles, cody, just like John Cena is going after number 17. There’s gona come a time when I’m gonna want to go after number 15, but I’m not gonna kick you in the balls like some coward. I’m gon to look you directly in your eye because I respect you. I love you and I am proud of you and I consider you an equal, if not far surpassing anything I’ve ever done in this business. I’m gona look you in your eye and I’m going to tell you that I’m coming for this.
Therefore, Randy, being the typical “Viper,” might soon hit an RKO on his real-life friend Cody Rhodes and go after the Undisputed Title, most likely at Clash in Paris.
Randy Orton will betray Cody Rhodes very soon pic.twitter.com/tgbMwa04Ii
— Jᴀʜɪɴ ⚡️ (@Jahhhin_Cena) March 29, 2025
While nothing is official, analyzing Randy’s past shows he has a history of betraying friends and is not very trustworthy. In fact, in the past, he even delivered an RKO to his then-girlfriend Stacy Keibler.
All in all, WWE also has a history of turning friendships into feuds, and Randy’s clear ambition to become the Undisputed Champion gives some validation to the rumor that he will soon betray Cody.