CM Punk Reacts To Cody Rhodes Being Betrayed By Randy Orton On WWE SmackDown

Published: Mar 14, 2026 by Connel Rumsey | Last Updated: Mar 17, 2026 by Connel Rumsey

Connel has over five years of wrestling journalism experience writing about some of the biggest stories from across the wrestling world. Being a fan for 20 years, Connel has an expansive knowledge from a wide range of various wrestling promotions, including WWE, AEW, NJPW, TNA and Joshi.

@connel1405

CM Punk Reacts To Cody Rhodes Being Betrayed By Randy Orton On WWE SmackDown

CM Punk has reacted to Cody Rhodes being bloodied by Randy Orton on last night’s episode of WWE SmackDown.

The closing segment of last night’s SmackDown had WWE fans around the world in shock, when Randy Orton would turn heel, turning on Cody Rhodes.

Rhodes and Orton are set for their long-awaited clash at WWE WrestleMania 42 in a bout that many have hoped to see on a WrestleMania event since Rhodes returned to WWE back in 2022.

CM Punk Reacts To Randy Orton’s Betrayal

Following the segment, Cody Rhodes was taken to the back for medical attention after Orton had used a Steel Chair on him as he laid prone between the steel steps.

WWE would take photos of a bloody Cody Rhodes backstage following the angle, sharing photos on social media with the caption “How could you do this to a friend, @randyorton…”

This prompted a response from CM Punk, reacting to the bloody photos of Cody, simply writing:

WHAT HAPPENED?! 😢

CM Punk’s WrestleMania 42 Plans

While Punk is merely an onlooker for the SmackDown main event at WrestleMania 42, he is currently locked into his rivalry with Roman Reigns ahead of their World Heavyweight Championship clash at the event in Las Vegas next month.

Two weeks ago on Raw, Punk and Roman took part in their second face to face promo exchange, with Punk getting the final word in on Reigns, telling him that he will ‘bury him with his father’ after WrestleMania, a reference to Reigns’ late WWE Hall of Fame father Sika, who passed away back in 2024.

Punk was confronted by the Usos on this week’s Raw show, who insisted he apologise for what he said about their Uncle, only for Punk to turn it back around on Roman, referencing him not apologising to them for years of abuse during the Bloodline.

With Roman Reigns set for next week’s episode of Raw, it will be interesting to see what he has in store for Punk following his comments as WrestleMania 42 draws nearer.

Why Did Randy Orton Betray Cody Rhodes?

After coming out on top in the Elimination Chamber match, Randy Orton earned an opportunity to compete for his 15th world championship at WrestleMania 42, with the Undisputed WWE Championship being held by Drew McIntyre at the time.

However, following Cody Rhodes‘ WWE Championship victory, Randy would be conflicted ahead of the betrayal, telling Cody that what he was going to do ‘was supposed to be easy’, and that ‘it was supposed to be Drew McIntyre in here with him’.

Cody would go over he and Orton’s history, referencing their time in Legacy and Orton being Rhodes’ first WWE opponent back in 2007, telling Orton that he will always love him before Orton would betray Rhodes.

After recent backstage interactions with Aleister Black, who had been telling Orton to listen to the voices in his head, it seems as though Orton is willing to go to any lengths to capture his 15th world title in WWE, even if it means doing what he did last night to Cody.