What Happened to Cody Rhodes' Eye at WrestleMania 42?

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What Happened to Cody Rhodes' Eye at WrestleMania 42?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Steven Harrison | Last updated Apr 18, 2026 11:33 PM ET

Cody Rhodes retained the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42 Night One—but the win came at a cost.

Rhodes emerged from a chaotic main event that featured a clunky finish, including Pat McAfee getting re-involved after earlier being taken out by Rhodes and Jelly Roll.

The celebration didn’t last long. Randy Orton attacked Rhodes moments after the match, striking him with the WWE Championship before delivering a punt kick.

It was during that post-match assault that Rhodes appeared to suffer an eye injury. The incident was addressed by Joe Tessitore on the WrestleMania 42 Post Show, and a clip circulating on X includes a graphic content warning.

Cody Rhodes raises the WWE Championship in front of a packed crowd during WrestleMania 42 Night One.Getty Images

What Else Happened at WrestleMania 42 Night One?

Below are full match results from WrestleMania Saturday.

The Usos and LA Knight def. The Vision and IShowSpeed (B-)
Jacob Fatu def. Drew McIntyre (Unsanctioned Match) (B-)
Paige and Brie Bella def . The Irresistible Forces, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships (B)
Becky Lynch def . AJ Lee to win the Women’s Intercontinental Championship (C+)
Gunther def . Seth Rollins (A-)
Liv Morgan def . Stephanie Vaquer to win the Women’s World Championship (B-)
Cody Rhodes def. Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship (B-)

Other highlights include Bianca Belair's return to announce her pregnancy and Bron Breakker's return, spearing Seth Rollins and costing him his match against Gunther.

How to Watch WrestleMania 42 Night 2

WrestleMania 42 continues Sunday, April 19, beginning at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. PT).

In the United States, the event streams exclusively on ESPN Unlimited, while international viewers can watch via Netflix depending on region.

The highly anticipated clash between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi is expected to kick off the show, while the main event will feature CM Punk defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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