It was supposed to be his moment, but alas, the WWE has other plans for Cody Rhodes heading into WrestleMania.
Rhodes was a large favorite with oddsmakers going into Saturday’s Elimination Chamber to win the main event and go on to WrestleMania 42 to face off with Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship.
A month ago, historian and pro wrestling insider Dave Meltzer reported that the planned WWE title match for the marquee show of the year was Rhodes facing off with McIntyre, with the possibility of Jacob Fatu being added to the mix to make it a triple threat.
Well, either Metlzer was wrong, or the plans have been severely flipped on their head, as neither Fatu nor Rhodes is currently scheduled to face McIntyre at ‘Mania in seven weeks.
In the main event, it was Randy Orton who came out victorious in the six-man matchup, punching his ticket to his first WrestleMania main event in over a decade.
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Following the match, Rhodes echoed previous big match losses with a look of regret and sadness, similar to the same look he gave following his WrestleMania 39 defeat to Roman Reigns at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Although Rhodes or Fatu is currently in the main event, the prevailing theory is that both will find their way into the Orton and McIntyre feud before the match is made official on Friday Night SmackDown.
It could be heading towards a fatal four-way at ‘Mania, with McIntyre defending against Fatu, Rhodes, and Orton. There is also a chance the match gets expanded even wider, including the likes of Sami Zayn, Aleister Black, LA Knight, and Trick Williams.
While those storylines still hang in the air, two certainties are coming out of Saturday’s Premium Live Event: Orton will be vying for the WWE championship, and for right now, Rhodes has no path to a main event at WrestleMania 42.
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