The official WWE YouTube video featuring Cody Rhodes reclaiming the Undisputed WWE Championship has sparked controversy after an unusually large number of dislikes appeared on the platform.
The video highlights Rhodes defeating Drew McIntyre in the main event of the March 6 episode of SmackDown to win the Undisputed WWE Championship. Shortly after the clip was uploaded, fans noticed that the video had accumulated an extremely high number of dislikes compared to its views and likes.
Screenshots circulating on X showed the video receiving well over 100,000 dislikes, which led to speculation that the engagement numbers may have been artificially manipulated through automated bots.
The situation escalated when a social media user using the handle @rawaftermania40 publicly claimed responsibility for the activity. According to the user, they had paid for automated services designed to flood the video with negative reactions.
“It already took $250 to bot 65k dislikes,” the user wrote. The same account also claimed that the campaign was not finished, stating they had “already paid for 100k more tomorrow.”
The claims quickly spread across social media, leading to debate among wrestling fans about whether the dislike numbers were legitimate or the result of manipulation.
Wrestling veteran Matt Hardy later commented on the situation through a series of posts. Hardy first reacted strongly to the idea that such a tactic could be possible.
“The fact this is possible is outrageous,” Hardy wrote.
He later followed up with another message where he clarified that he could not confirm whether the specific claims were true, but he expressed surprise that such technology exists.
“I have no idea how real or not real the bots are the guy claimed to purchase. I don’t comment on things I can’t speak about without knowing what’s actually happening. I was today years old when I learned that you can purchase bots to dislike YouTube videos & it’s ridiculous”.
Regardless of whether the dislikes were genuine or artificially generated, the outcome of the SmackDown main event has drawn significant criticism on social media. Many fans have been vocal online about the decision to have Rhodes defeat McIntyre to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship.
No matter how, the outcome of the match between Drew McIntyre and the new WWE Undisputed Champion has been widely criticized on social media.
Cody Rhodes YouTube dislike controversy
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