Cody Rhodes SmackDown Title Win Dislike Bombing Linked to Bot Purchase

The backlash surrounding Cody Rhodes reclaiming the Undisputed WWE Championship on the March 6 episode of WWE SmackDown has taken another unexpected turn.

The match — which saw Rhodes defeat Drew McIntyre in the main event from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon — quickly became one of the most heavily criticized WWE videos of the year after it was uploaded to YouTube. Early reaction showed an overwhelming number of dislikes compared to likes, fueling debates across social media about fan frustration with the booking.

However, a new development suggests the numbers may not reflect organic fan reactions. As of 4:30 PM on March 7, 2026, the video sits at approximately 996,000 views with around 28,000 likes and more than 119,000 dislikes — an unusually lopsided ratio even for controversial wrestling moments. Now screenshots circulating online claim that at least part of the dislike spike may have been artificially inflated.

A user on Twitter, who went by the handle @rawaftermania40, publicly bragged about purchasing bot-generated dislikes for the video. In one post, the user claimed responsibility for ordering tens of thousands of dislikes and even shared what appeared to be a dashboard screenshot showing the purchase.

“Yes I botted 65k and I’m not a Roman or Drew fan, i jsut wanted to see how everyone would react lol.”

The same account also posted another message suggesting the campaign wasn’t finished yet.

“You’re welcome. Already paid for a 100k more tomorrow.”

Screenshots accompanying the posts showed an alleged order placed for 65,000 YouTube dislikes tied to the SmackDown highlight video. Shortly after the posts began circulating and users started pushing back against the claims, the Twitter account was deleted.

The title change itself came after a chaotic closing stretch in the match. Multiple referee bumps created confusion before McIntyre attempted to use a steel chair. The situation shifted when Jacob Fatu appeared and stopped him, allowing Rhodes to land a Cody Cutter followed by Cross Rhodes to regain the championship.

Despite the online reaction and the controversy surrounding the video’s dislike numbers, the result locks in the WrestleMania 42 direction. Rhodes is now set to defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton in Las Vegas after Orton won the 2026 Men’s Elimination Chamber match and later attacked Rhodes with an RKO.

The new claims about purchased dislikes have added another layer to the situation, raising questions about how much of the backlash was real fan reaction versus manipulated engagement.

Do you think the negative reaction to Cody Rhodes winning the title was genuine fan frustration, or did the bot activity significantly distort the perception online? Share your thoughts and let us know what you think.