4 Takeaways from Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes' meet up on WWE SmackDown

The latest episode of Friday Night SmackDown, live from Oklahoma City, kicked off with none other than Randy Orton. WWE's Apex Predator made his return to the show after missing last week’s episode.

Orton mentioned that Cody Rhodes is one of the few people he trusts in the locker room. Because of this, he found it hard to understand why he agreed to team up with Roman Reigns for their tag team match against The Bloodline duo, Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu, at WWE Bad Blood.

Responding to Orton’s concerns, Rhodes offered an explanation face-to-face. Here are four things we learned from their confrontation on Friday Night SmackDown.

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#4. Randy Orton needs some answers

Roman Reigns and The Bloodline were among the main reasons Randy Orton was sidelined for 18 months, which could have potentially ended his career.

Hence, it's no surprise that Orton is unhappy with his former Legacy stablemate for agreeing to team with Reigns despite everything the latter has done to him and Rhodes.

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#3. Cody Rhodes trusts Roman Reigns

Cody Rhodes told Randy Orton that teaming up with Roman Reigns might make him look like a fool. He asked The Viper whether he'd rather be a fool or a coward.

Rhodes explained that Reigns has given his word to have his back at Bad Blood and believes that the OTC is someone who doesn’t go back on his word. The Undisputed WWE Champion added that he agreed to set aside his differences with Reigns because The Bloodline, led by Solo Sikoa, has become a bigger threat that needs to be dealt with.

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#2. Kevin Owens doesn't want to team up with Cody Rhodes on WWE SmackDown

Randy Orton isn’t the only one unhappy with Cody Rhodes’ decision to team up with Roman Reigns. Kevin Owens, who has been feuding with The Bloodline since its inception, also has issues with Reigns, one of the main reasons why Owens failed to win the WWE Championship on multiple occasions.

Although Owens hasn't confronted Rhodes yet, all signs suggest tension between the two friends. On the latest episode of SmackDown, Owens challenged The Bloodline to a tag team match, with him and Randy Orton set to take on Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu.

Rhodes offered to join them, suggesting it didn’t need to be a two vs. two match, but Owens was not on board. He told Rhodes to focus on his tag match at Bad Blood. It will be interesting to see how the situation between Owens and Rhodes evolves.

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#1. The Bloodline will be the reason for Cody Rhodes' downfall

During the segment, Solo Sikoa addressed Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens. He told Orton and Owens that The American Nightmare agreed to team up with Roman Reigns because he has repeatedly failed to take down The Bloodline when teaming with them instead.

This statement clearly shows Solo's attempt to stir tension between Rhodes and his friends. All signs point to The Bloodline playing a role in Rhodes' downfall, either by defeating him and Reigns at WWE Bad Blood or, even if he survives that, the possibility of Randy Orton and Kevin Owens turning on Rhodes down the line.