WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes hasn’t been seen on SmackDown for two straight weeks now. The American Nightmare was attacked by Drew McIntyre on the August 8, 2025, episode of the blue show, following which there has been no update on him.QB1 had secured a huge victory over John Cena and won the Undisputed WWE Championship for the second time. However, it seems like he won’t make it to Clash in Paris to defend the gold, and here are four reasons why.#4. Drew McIntyre has seemingly put Cody Rhodes out of commissionAs mentioned earlier, The Scottish Psychopath had attacked Cody Rhodes a couple of weeks ago. The former World Heavyweight Champion Claymored Rhodes’ head through the base of the announcers desk. After the impact, The American Nightmare lay motionless before being swarmed by a team of medics.With no news about him so far, there is a chance that Rhodes has been put out of commission. With just one week remaining in Clash of Paris, there is little chance for the Undisputed WWE Champion to recover and make a comeback.#3. Lack of a medical updateDrew McIntyre has been badgering commentators Wade Barrett and Joe Tessitore for a medical update on QB1. However, the duo has no answer to give to the Scotsman from the officials. Unlike Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes isn’t going to any talk show to discuss his injury either.Thus, there is a chance that The American Nightmare has been written off active programming for some time. The attack by The Scottish Psychopath could have been used to give the Undisputed Champion a kayfabe injury to give him some time to work on an external project.#2. Cody Rhodes is busy with a movie shootCody Rhodes is currently working on the sets of the live adaptation movie of the video game franchise, Street Fighter. The American Nightmare is playing the role of the US Air Force personnel, Guile. The film also features Roman Reigns, who has been cast for the role of Akuma.Owing to this, the Undisputed WWE Champion’s dates may conflict with Clash in Paris. Thus, he may have been written off TV. Earlier this month, another movie Rhodes had worked in, The Naked Gun, was released on August 1, 2025.#1. Randy Orton has been brought in to take care of Drew McIntyreThis week on SmackDown, Drew McIntyre did an in-ring promo where he asked Cody Rhodes to hold the Undisputed WWE Championship tightly before he takes it away. The Scottish Psychopath had more to say, but his monologue was cut short by Randy Orton, who struck him with an RKO outta nowhere.Notably, the Scotsman and Logan Paul had teamed up to defeat The Viper and country musician Jelly Roll at the 2025 SummerSlam. However, the match ended with The Maverick pinning the artist instead of Orton. Thus, The Apex Predator has now returned for payback.Thus, McIntyre will face the former 14-time world champion at Clash in Paris. With this, Rhodes practically has no opponent for the premium live event. This may have been done owing to his unavailability for the show. It will be interesting to see when The American Nightmare returns to WWE.