WWE got Night of Champions started with the final match in its King of the Ring tournament, a match that featured a battle between two of WWE’s best in Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes. The two are great friends and have a ton of history as allies and enemies throughout their WWE careers, and that was evident throughout the match. After a thrilling match, a winner was crowned the new King of the Ring, and it sets up not only the main event of SummerSlam, but also WWE’s next big feud in the process.
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There was definitely a big fight feel to this match in the arena, and while these two are very familiar with each other, they haven’t actually squared up one-on-one for over a decade, so there was still a bit of feeling each other out in the early points of the match. That’s also why both Rhodes and Orton were pulling out a few top rope moves far earlier than they usually do, and that had a big effect on the match.
After a superplex, Orton grabbed his lower back, and from that point, not only was it causing Orton some discomfort, but Rhodes switched his strategy and targeted the vulnerability for the rest of the match. Rhodes wore down Orton and kept the Viper from tapping into his power advantage, though Orton still showed that even when he’s not 100% he’s still a threat.
Rhodes kept targeting the wounded back though with a DDT and a spot-on Cody Cutter, and then Rhodes hit an Avalanche Cody Cutter before going for a pin, but Orton stayed in the match. Orton came back with the trademark DDT and looked like he was about to go on a roll with an RKO, but Rhodes countered and hit a Cross Rhodes instead, and yet Orton still managed to kick out of the pin attempt to the shock of Rhodes and the crowd.
Then out of nowhere, Orton hit the RKO and almost got the pin, but Rhodes kicked out at 2 and a half. Then Orton set up for the Punt Kick, but he then stopped himself, before going ahead with it. Unfortunately, he waited too long, and Rhodes countered and locked in the Figure 4 right in the center of the ring. Orton eventually broke the hold, and after a slugfest for a while, Orton caught a Cody Cutter and hit an RKO on Rhodes.
Orton grabbed a chair in front of the referee and that drew his attention, but Orton then used that distraction to remove the turnbuckle pad in the other corner. It backfired on him though, as Rhodes countered and threw Orton into the exposed turnbuckle right on his side and ribs, and after a Cross Rhodes, he would lock in the pin and the win.
Redemption at SummerSlam
Now Rhodes has earned a Title shot at SummerSlam, and after what happened at WrestleMania 41, Rhodes has been locked in on getting another shot at Cena and earning some payback. That said, the picture isn’t as clear as you would expect, as later tonight Cena will face CM Punk for the Undisputed WWE Championship, so there’s a possibility that Cena isn’t even the Champ when SummerSlam rolls around.
With how Cena has won in his past match-ups while holding the Championship, I’m still thinking Cena finds a way to win (i.e. cheat) and continue his Title reign, and that would set up an epic rematch that would certainly be a spectacle who is in involved and who else could end up interfering.
Rhodes is also one of the few people who feels big enough to take down Cena during his farewell tour, and ironically enough, the other person that feels like a true threat is the one facing him tonight in CM Punk. We’ll have to wait and see, but if it is Cena vs Rhodes 2, there’s a very good chance Rhodes takes Cena down and gets some well-deserved payback.
Long-Awaited Feud
The other big element of this result is how it sets up what could be one of 2025’s biggest feuds. While Orton and Rhodes have been appearing on TV together and working alongside each other quite a bit over the past year, this is the first time they’ve actually gone one-on-one in the ring, though WWE just teased that this won’t be the last time it happens.
After the match, you could see how frustrated Orton was, and despite the complimentary words from Rhodes in his promo after the match, that frustration didn’t seem to dissipate. Walking away from the ring, you could really see that start to bubble up to the surface, and this is on top of numerous shots of Orton in past segments eyeing the Undisputed Championship during Rhodes’ previous Title reign.
If this is the direction WWE decides to go in, it would be a perfect first feud for Rhodes in his second Title reign, and one that would likely play into a ton of past history between the two that has the potential to be great given the talents involved. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but in the meantime, you can find the updated card for Night of Champions below.
Night of Champions
- King of the Ring Finals: Cody Rhodes def. Randy Orton
- Street Fight: Rhea Ripley def. Raquel Rodriguez
- Undisputed WWE Championship Match: John Cena (C) vs. CM Punk
- United States Championship Match: Jacob Fatu (C) vs. Solo Sikoa
- Queen of the Ring Finals: Asuka vs. Jade Cargill
- Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross
What did you think of the match, and are you excited for the match-up at SummerSlam? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things wrestling with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
