Cody Rhodes’s entrance on WWE Raw was met with cheers and chants of “Cody! Cody” before Stephanie McMahon’s music interrupted him. Stephanie McMahon’s appearance took Rhodes by surprise.
McMahon Questions Rhodes’s Abilities
Stephanie McMahon said she was there because they were in “the house my grandfather build, Madison Square Garden.” She wanted to talk about Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and WrestleMania, with a message Rhodes wouldn’t like. She mentioned Rhodes, Orton, and herself as multi-generation talents who understand being on top differently.
McMahon stated that Rhodes took “the golden path” and believes he can bring out the best in people. She said he can’t do that with “this version of Randy Orton”. She claimed that this Orton is diabolical and Rhodes needs to think like him to win.
She claimed that Rhodes’s dad, Dusty Rhodes, understood this better than anyone, being able to get down and dirty. McMahon then told Rhodes, “But from what I’ve seen so far, you are not your father”. She followed this by saying the current version of Rhodes can’t beat the current version of Orton and that he has “no idea who you are dealing with.”
Rhodes Responds to McMahon’s Claims
Cody Rhodes soaked up Stephanie McMahon’s words as a “Randy! Randy!” chant broke out. He responded by saying that the last thing he’d ever want is to be rude to her, but that he knows everything there is to know about Randy Orton. Rhodes said he knows everything about Orton and listed things Orton has done. He stated Orton has done things so vile they can’t show it on the show.
Rhodes also said, “And I know some of that stuff was to you.”
He said that a whole section of pro wrestling fans want this to be framed as a “student/teacher” dynamic. Rhodes stated that he ceased to be the student a long time ago.
Show Details
- The commentators for the show were Michael Cole and Corey Graves.
- The reporters were Byron Saxton and Vic Joseph.
- WrestleTix reported that 15,873 tickets were distributed so far.
- The arena was set up for 17,395.
- The arena has a capacity of 22,000 spectators when configured for concerts.
The show also featured appearances from Punk, Reigns, Logan, and Theory, as well as a match between The Usos and Logan & Theory for the Tag Titles.