WWE WrestleMania 42 Night 1 Main Event Grade: Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton, McAfee Angle Falls Flat
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Night 1 of WrestleMania 42 is over, and Cody Rhodes is still Undisputed WWE Champion after surviving Randy Orton, Pat McAfee and all the chaos around him. Even so, Rhodes did not get the final word. Orton stood tall to close the night after laying him out in a post-match attack.
What made it even stranger was the crowd reaction. Despite everything he did, Orton was still cheered by fans in attendance, while McAfee was booed heavily and looked like the easy target coming out of the segment.
That is part of what made the ending feel so off. WrestleMania main events are supposed to deliver a definitive payoff, but this one closed on a cliffhanger that felt more confusing than compelling. For a match and segment that already struggled to hit the moment, it was a flat and unusual way to end Night 1.
How did we grade the main event? Here is the full grade, reaction and breakdown of what happened during the main event.
What happened in Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42 Night 1
The storied rivalry between Rhodes and Orton awkwardly involved McAfee throughout. Once the match began, though, he was immediately taken out by Rhodes and the other celebrity involved, Jelly Roll. Once the real match between Rhodes and Orton took place, things fell a little flat. Orton was selling the effects of an injured back before the match, and Rhodes took advantage.
As the match went on, Rhodes even used his opponent's finish on him, hitting an RKO on Orton. Later, Orton returned the favor, nailing the champion with a Cross Rhodes.
MORE:WWE WrestleMania 42 Night 1 Results, Match Grades
One of the key moments of the main event was Rhodes almost embracing his dark side and seemingly turning heel in the middle of the match against the sinister Orton. Although Orton was billed as the heel in the match, he had fan support all night. The ending saw Rhodes poke Orton’s eyes, causing him to accidentally hit the referee with an RKO. With the official down and out, McAfee made his return to the ring with a referee shirt — Orton had Cody down for a pin at that point, but McAfee's count was slower than Orton expected, and Rhodes was able to kick out and keep the match going.
Orton, now upset with the daytime ESPN host, hit McAfee with the RKO. While Orton was looking down at the now downed McAfee in the ring, Rhodes had the opening he needed to hit the Cross Rhodes on Orton, pin him and retain the title. The capacity crowd booed the result, but cheered once again when Orton recovered after the match and hit Rhodes with the title.
Orton then hit Rhodes with his famous punt to the head, leaving Rhodes laying and bloody in the ring to end the show.
Grade: D+
Why Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton earned this WrestleMania 42 main event grade
The match was in trouble before the bell even rang. The entrances for Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Pat McAfee dragged on longer than any other match on the card, making the whole thing feel bloated right out of the gate.
Then came the payoff, and it barely made sense. WWE spent all that time hyping McAfee helping Orton, only for Orton to turn on him after one bad count. It felt rushed, confusing and completely unearned. Before the match could even find a rhythm, it was already at the finish.
That was the problem with the entire main event; it felt more like a performance than a fight. Rhodes never fully leaned into the heel turn, the pre-match nonsense took up too much space, and the pacing was so slow that the match never came close to feeling worthy of the spot.
The booking did not help either. The structure was clunky, the aftermath was messy, and instead of ending Night 1 with a bang, WWE gave fans a main event that just fell flat.