03/08/2026
Cody Rhodes winning the WWE Championship again on SmackDown — this time taking the title from Drew McIntyre — is already drawing serious backlash online. The YouTube clip of Cody regaining the championship has surpassed 100,000 dislikes and counting, and fans are clearly voicing their frustration.
Is Cody a bigger draw than Drew McIntyre? Realistically, yes. Cody is one of WWE’s biggest stars and heading into WrestleMania the company is always going to lean toward the name that moves the most interest and attention. From a pure business standpoint, it makes sense.
But is the e frustration from fans really about Cody or something else?
Could it be about how Drew McIntyre keeps getting booked? Drew wins the title and barely gets a chance to establish a reign before it’s over. One defense against Sami Zayn and then it’s right back off him. For someone WWE constantly presents as a top-level main eventer, his title runs often feel short and unfinished. Fans are starting to notice the pattern.
The bigger issue now is Cody vs. Randy Orton.
On paper, that matchup is box office. Two huge names. Former Legacy teammates. Plenty of real history. But right now… there isn’t much of a storyline driving it. There isn’t much hype. And that’s a problem, because half the excitement of a WrestleMania match comes from the build and anticipation, not just the names involved.
Then there’s the heel dynamic.
Turning Randy Orton heel at this stage of his career is tricky. He’s a beloved future Hall of Famer, and no matter what he does, fans are going to cheer him. The audience has too much respect for Randy to fully boo him now.
So it raises an interesting question.
If Randy isn’t going to get booed… is it finally time for Cody Rhodes to turn heel?
What do you think?