The controversy surrounding Cody Rhodes reclaiming the Undisputed WWE Championship from Drew McIntyre isnt slowing down and its only raising even more questions about what really happened online after the match. Rhodes defeated McIntyre in the March 6 episode of WWE SmackDown from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. Shortly after the match was uploaded to YouTube, the video drew a wave of negative reactions and quickly became one of WWEs most disliked uploads of the year. Screenshots circulating on social media appeared to show a Twitter user claiming responsibility for artificially inflating the backlash by purchasing thousands of dislikes through engagement manipulation services. The now-deleted account bragged about spending money to push the reaction even further. The same account later claimed the stunt cost hundreds of dollars and suggested even more dislikes were coming. However, not everyone believes that explanation. Speaking on The Dirty Sheets podcast, Billi Bhatti addressed the situation and argued that the backlash surrounding Rhodes title win was already massive before the claims about bots started circulating. Bhatti pointed to the YouTube video itself as evidence of the strong reaction. Bhatti went further and claimed the video had already reached a historic level of negative engagement. He also expressed skepticism about the Twitter account that claimed to have purchased the dislikes. According to Bhatti, the account appeared suddenly and quickly gained attention across wrestling media outlets. Bhatti questioned how an unknown account could gain traction so quickly. He then offered his own theory about what might have been happening behind the scenes. Bhatti also argued that if the dislikes had truly been generated through bots, YouTubes systems would have removed them automatically. He pointed out that YouTube moderation systems rely heavily on automated detection to prevent engagement manipulation. Regardless of where the dislikes came from, the controversy surrounding the title change continues to dominate fan discussions online. Rhodes victory set up the WrestleMania 42 main event where he is expected to defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton after Orton won the 2026 Mens Elimination Chamber match. But the debate around the SmackDown title change and the unusual claims about botting dislikes has now become a story of its own. Do you think the backlash to Cody Rhodes winning the championship was genuine fan reaction, or do you believe the online engagement may have been manipulated? Let us know your thoughts and leave your feedback in the comments. G Add as a preferred source on Google
