As WWE fans continue to cheer for his WrestleMania 42 opponent, Randy Orton, following his heel turn during a contract signing for their match on “WWE SmackDown,” Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes revealed on “Busted Open Radio” that he no longer takes negative fan reactions to heart. While Rhodes has been a top babyface in WWE since rejoining the company in 2022, fans are rooting hard for Orton to win the 15th world championship of his career. Rhodes explained he doesn’t take it all personally, though said in his younger years he did.

“Certainly, there’s no absolute in that and I’m sure some things kind of slip through the armor a bit and you feel it,” Rhodes said. “But my thought in terms of fans today, more than ever, is that we are out there and whatever their emotional need is. If they need to cheer for you. If they need to cheer for him. If they need to yell at you. I can’t put a governor on that and I will not. Tully Blanchard rules, in terms, for me, when he’d say, ‘The loudest, the longest.’ I can’t be angry at them.”

Rhodes said even if fans are cheering Orton after everything “The Viper” has done to him, including leaving him bloodied following their official contract signing a few weeks ago, so be it. He explained he’s not going to try and tell anyone how to be a fan, because there’s no wrong way.

“Right now it hasn’t got to me,” he said. “I’ll be honest, sometimes maybe it will, but right now? No.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.