00:15This is a hell of a truck. It certainly is. It's like you, brother. It's like you.
00:20Gentlemen, Randy, Pat, as discussed, here's the agreement.
00:27I understand that you and I are going to go have a little chat.
00:30Foreign Adam Pearce, listen, I'm a guy that reads through all my own contracts.
00:35You know, self-made billionaire. None of you bums would understand that.
00:41I'll have to read this entire thing before I can sign it. I assume there's a lot of pages in
00:46this entire thing.
00:46I don't mean to interrupt my friend, Nick. I got something to say. I'm going to leave you to it.
00:50You can handle this. I'm going to head out to the ring.
00:53Yeah! Yeah! Randy's about to go ruin the show by telling some truths for an Adam Pearce.
01:01And on that note, here, will you park this thing? Thank you.
01:07And you...
01:09I have voices in my head. They come to me. They understand they stop me.
01:24You got chills and roll in the chair. All designed to keep you safe.
01:30But when rules start getting broken. If stop questioning your fate.
01:36I have a force that is the savior vorneaf!
01:42The Viper one sleep away from potential history-making moment at Mania.
02:24Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, The Viper, Randy Orton!
02:31Joe Tessitore and Corey Graves with you for Friday Night Smackdown, the night before Mania.
02:36History on the line tomorrow, Corey.
02:37On the eve of the Showcase of the Immortals, The Viper is in Las Vegas,
02:43and Randy Orton looks locked in and ready to take title reign number 15.
02:48That would move him into sole possession of third all-time in WWE history.
02:55There it is, Saturday at Mania.
03:00Cody Rhodes, the undisputed WWE Champion, against Randy Orton.
03:05Of course, a line with Pat McAfee, the ultimate disruptor who was dealing with Nick Aldis moments ago.
03:12And while McAfee may be one of the most unpopular people in the WWE Universe these days,
03:17the fact is, Pat was a catalyst.
03:20Pat McAfee unleashed something inside The Viper's mind,
03:24and it may spell very bad news for Cody Rhodes.
03:44Two decades of shared history with Cody.
03:48of student-teacher, of older brother, younger brother.
03:52Of all the twists and turns of two decades between those two.
03:57And then for the last two weeks, as you say, the catalyst,
04:02Pat McAfee enters the fray.
04:04Things have gotten different.
04:05They talk to me.
04:40I'll be the first one
04:43to admit it.
04:50I don't need
04:51Pat McAfee.
04:59The truth is,
05:01I want him.
05:08Pat McAfee is the only
05:10straight shooter in this company.
05:13He doesn't tell me
05:14what I want to hear.
05:22He tells me
05:23what I need to hear.
05:26And what I needed to hear
05:28is that all along,
05:30all I ever needed to do
05:32was just
05:34be me.
05:42Who would have thought?
05:45So we were all set.
05:47I'm listening to Pat.
05:48I know what I need to do.
05:50Here comes WrestleMania 42.
05:52I win the chamber,
05:53and I'm facing
05:54Drew McIntyre
05:56for the title.
05:58Now there's no love lost
06:00for McIntyre.
06:01I knew that I could be
06:02who I needed to be
06:03in that ring with Drew
06:04and take his title.
06:06Easy.
06:06Cake.
06:07Back home to St. Louis
06:08with the title.
06:09Done.
06:10But then,
06:12Cody Rhodes
06:13won the title back.
06:23Cody Rhodes
06:30won the title back
06:31in a rematch.
06:32So now,
06:33see,
06:34me and Cody
06:35are friends.
06:35I wasn't going to
06:36listen to Pat.
06:37I couldn't do
06:38what I needed to do.
06:39I couldn't be
06:39who I needed to be.
06:40I couldn't hurt
06:41my friend.
06:42And then,
06:44I let Cody Rhodes
06:46give me permission
06:49to be me.
06:52Who the f-
06:53Who-
06:54Who the hell
06:55is Cody Rhodes
06:56to give me permission?
06:58What,
06:58to be myself?
06:59I wrote the book
07:00on being me.
07:02I am the Viper.
07:03I listen to the voices
07:04when I want,
07:05and I-
07:08That cocky son of a bitch
07:10tried to give me permission.
07:13Give me permission
07:14to be me.
07:16See,
07:16this is how
07:17a friendship works.
07:18There's give
07:19and there's take.
07:20That's how most
07:21relationships work,
07:22in case you didn't know.
07:24But with Cody
07:25as a friend,
07:25all I ever did
07:26was give,
07:27give,
07:27give.
07:27All he ever did
07:29was take,
07:30take,
07:31take.
07:33Tomorrow night,
07:34we main event
07:35night one,
07:36WrestleMania 42,
07:37but I'm gonna take you
07:38back two years
07:39to WrestleMania 40.
07:40It was Cody
07:41versus Roman Reigns
07:42and The Rock,
07:43and Cody needed
07:44a friend,
07:44a partner.
07:46He needed someone
07:47to have us back,
07:48and he calls
07:49Seth Rollins.
07:54He didn't
07:55even call.
07:58All he does
07:58was take,
08:00take,
08:00take.
08:01Now,
08:03Solo's bloodline
08:04is all over Cody.
08:07And what do I do
08:08as a
08:09a friend?
08:11I'm there
08:12to have his back,
08:13and what did I get
08:14from my trouble?
08:15I got put right
08:16through that table
08:17mere months
08:18after a career
08:19threatening
08:20back surgery.
08:22All he ever does
08:23is take,
08:24take,
08:25take,
08:26and this is
08:26the best one.
08:28He gifts
08:29a WWE
08:31championship match
08:33to my friend
08:35at the time,
08:36Kevin Owens.
08:43And then,
08:44wouldn't you know it,
08:45to make matters worse,
08:46Kevin Owens
08:47turns on Cody,
08:49and what do I do
08:50as Cody's friend?
08:51I come,
08:52I have his back.
08:55I'm there
08:56by his side.
08:57I try to talk
08:58some sense
08:58into Kevin Owens,
09:00and what happens
09:01for my trouble?
09:03I get dropped
09:04on my head
09:05right in this ring
09:06via a pile driver.
09:08A career
09:09threatening move
09:09I almost was put out.
09:11I could have been
09:12out forever.
09:13That could have been it.
09:15All Cody Rhodes
09:16does
09:17is take,
09:18take,
09:19take.
09:19Pat McAfee
09:21has done more
09:22for me,
09:23my career,
09:23and my legacy
09:24than Cody Rhodes
09:25has done
09:26in half
09:27of a lifetime.
09:30Cody thinks
09:31that bringing
09:32McAfee into the fold
09:34hurts my legacy.
09:35No, Cody,
09:36you got it wrong.
09:38Helping you
09:39these last few years
09:40has hurt my legacy
09:42than anything else.
09:43So tomorrow,
09:44WrestleMania,
09:45day one,
09:46night one,
09:47main event,
09:48WrestleMania 42,
09:50I'm gonna fix it.
09:51I'm gonna right
09:52the wrongs.
09:53I'm gonna fix
09:54my legacy.
09:54I'm gonna take
09:55number 15
09:56home
09:57where it belongs.
10:02And I'm gonna do it
10:05with the three
10:06most dangerous
10:07letters in all
10:08of sports entertainment.
10:16R-K-O
10:21That is the Viper
10:23the night before
10:24Mania,
10:25Corey,
10:26saying all Cody's
10:27done
10:27is take,
10:29take,
10:30take.
10:30And it's been a while
10:31since we've seen
10:32this particular look
10:33in the eyes
10:34of Randy Orton.
10:35But I promise you,
10:36it spells trouble
10:37for the American
10:39Nightmare.
10:39I don't know what
10:40Pat McAfee said
10:41to Randy Orton.
10:42We may never find out.
10:44But one thing is for sure,
10:45Cody Rhodes is a
10:46marked man tomorrow night.
10:47And that is how we say
10:48hello to you here
10:49to welcome you to
10:49SmackDown.
10:50Joe Tessitore and
10:51Corey Graves with you.
10:52Everything feels different
10:53when you get to this point,
10:54doesn't it?
10:54No doubt about it.
10:55It's like Super Christmas Eve.
10:57It is.
10:57A reminder that
10:58You are
10:58You are
10:58you
10:58you
10:58you
10:58you
10:58you
10:58you
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