Home Stephanie McMahon Stephanie McMahon returns to WWE Raw, confronts champion Cody Rhodes over Randy Orton feud

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Apr 01, 2026

Stephanie McMahon returns to WWE Raw, confronts champion Cody Rhodes over Randy Orton feud

Stephanie McMahon, daughter of WWE co-founder Vince McMahon and former WWE Chief Brand Officer, made an appearance on Monday Night Raw at Madison Square Garden in New York City to address Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

Rhodes, a professional wrestler on WWE's SmackDown brand, is involved in a storyline rivalry with Randy Orton.^[1] Orton, a 14-time world champion known as "The Viper" and previously as "The Legend Killer,"^[2] has been depicted on WWE programming assaulting opponents, including an incident where he delivered his signature RKO to country singer Jelly Roll.^[3]^[4]

McMahon advised Rhodes that to defeat Orton, he would need to channel a more ruthless approach. She described the current iteration of Orton as "diabolical" and stated Rhodes could not draw out Orton's best without thinking like him.

McMahon invoked Rhodes' father, the late wrestler Dusty Rhodes, noting that Dusty "could roll with the best of them" and "get down and dirty," adding, "from what I’ve seen so far, you are not your father."^[5] The remark prompted a significant reaction from the crowd.

Rhodes countered by referencing Orton's past aggression, including a storyline incident where Orton punted McMahon in the head during his Legend Killer phase in 2009.^[6] Rhodes remarked, "You want to bring up fathers, I’m not mine. You’re right. Stephanie McMahon, with all due respect, you’re not yours either."

McMahon then slapped Rhodes across the face. Rhodes concluded the segment by thanking McMahon for providing a necessary wake-up call ahead of his future challenges.

The next WrestleMania event, WrestleMania 41, is scheduled for April 19-20, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.^[7]