Cody Rhodes’ mother Michelle Runnels, better known to WWE fans as “Mama Rhodes,” has found herself at the center of several of her son’s biggest rivalries. From The Rock’s personal attacks ahead of WrestleMania XL to her strong reaction to John Cena’s heel turn, Michelle has not been afraid to make her feelings known.
Now, she has once again become part of Cody’s storyline. Randy Orton has targeted her while building toward his Sunday Night’s Main Event showdown with the former Undisputed WWE Champion.
The Rock Targeted ‘Mama Rhodes’ Before WrestleMania XL
“The Final Boss” made Michelle a recurring target during his feud with Cody in 2024. After “The American Nightmare” slapped him, The Rock promised to make him bleed and then give Michelle a weight belt covered in her son’s blood.
The angle became even more personal when The Rock used a belt marked “Mama Rhodes” during his attack on Cody. He wiped Cody’s blood onto the belt and vowed to give it to his mother at WrestleMania.
Rhodes later acknowledged that his mother had never wanted to be part of the wrestling spotlight, making her involvement particularly unusual.
Michelle Runnels Called Out John Cena
Michelle also had plenty to say after John Cena turned heel and betrayed Cody Rhodes at Elimination Chamber 2025.
Speaking with Bill Apter of Sportskeeda, she said she was completely shocked by Cena’s actions and clarified that he was a friend of Cody’s, rather than a family friend.
“I was just shocked. Completely shocked. I would have never, never thought that was going to happen. I mean, he was a friend of Cody’s, and, of course, Dusty knew him, but I wouldn’t call him a family friend,” Michelle said.
When asked what she would tell “The Cenation Leader,” she delivered a blunt response:
“John, you should be ashamed of yourself. You had a beautiful career. Everybody loved you and now you’re just an (expletive).”
Randy Orton Brought Michelle Into His Feud With Cody
“The Viper” has now taken a page from The Rock’s playbook by targeting Cody’s family. During the August 28 episode of SmackDown, Orton brought up Michelle while attempting to provoke Cody into breaking WWE’s no-contact rule.
“Are you gonna make sure your trailer park trash mother is gonna be sitting front row when I beat your (expletive)?” Orton asked.
The comment came after Randy Orton had already brought up Cody’s dog Pharaoh and before he also targeted Brandi Rhodes. The exchange became one of the most personal moments of their feud as both men tried to make the other lose control.
With Cody and Orton set to meet at Sunday Night’s Main Event, Michelle has once again become part of a major storyline surrounding her son.
