Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton will take their increasingly personal rivalry into a Last Man Standing match at WWE Crown Jewel.
The stipulation was made official during WWE SmackDown after Rhodes issued the challenge to Orton in the ring. Their upcoming showdown will serve as the decisive third chapter in a feud that has moved from a WWE Championship encounter at WrestleMania to a bitter non-title rematch at Sunday Night’s Main Event. With one victory apiece, neither Rhodes nor Orton will be able to claim a clean resolution until one man is unable to answer a referee’s 10-count.
The Crown Jewel match arrives after several weeks in which Orton has pushed Rhodes toward a more ruthless version of himself. Orton has openly taken satisfaction in the change he believes he has brought out of the WWE Champion, while Rhodes has struggled with just how far he is prepared to go against a former mentor and longtime ally.
A Rivalry That Has Reached Its Breaking Point
Orton initially challenged Rhodes for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Rhodes retained the title, handing Orton a loss in their first major singles meeting of this latest conflict. That result did not end Orton’s pursuit of Rhodes, however. Instead, it appeared to intensify the resentment behind his actions.
For more background on this topic, read Liv Morgan Reflects On The Lesson That Shaped Her WWE Rise.
When they met again in a non-title grudge match at Sunday Night’s Main Event, Orton evened the score. The victory was especially significant because of the psychological ground Orton gained over Rhodes in the process. In the aftermath of his WrestleMania defeat, Orton had revived the punt kick, one of the most feared and controversial attacks of his career. Its return was not simply a tactical choice; it became a message to Rhodes about the lengths Orton was willing to go to win.
Rhodes had an opportunity to respond in kind in that rematch. He considered using the punt kick against Orton, but hesitated at the pivotal moment. That pause proved costly. Orton capitalized and secured the victory, leaving Rhodes with the defeat and a lingering question over whether his own restraint had prevented him from finishing the job.
That question has defined the rivalry ever since. Rhodes has long positioned himself as a competitor determined to fight with conviction without losing sight of who he is. Orton, meanwhile, has tried to frame that restraint as weakness. The Viper has insisted that Rhodes lacks the willingness to make the same choices when those choices involve facing Orton directly.
The Punt Kick Changed the Conversation
Rhodes finally used the punt kick last week, a moment that showed he was no longer merely contemplating the response Orton had demanded from him. Orton was not the man on the receiving end, however. Baron Corbin took the blow instead, giving Rhodes a chance to demonstrate that he could follow through while leaving the central issue unresolved between Rhodes and Orton.
That development set the stage for their SmackDown confrontation. Orton entered the ring first and addressed Rhodes’ recent actions. He said he enjoyed knowing that he was responsible for bringing this side of Rhodes to the surface. Yet Orton remained unconvinced that Rhodes would be able to unleash that same aggression when he was standing across the ring from him.
It was a pointed challenge aimed at everything Rhodes has been wrestling with during this program. Orton was not questioning whether Rhodes could execute the move. Corbin had already provided the answer to that. He was questioning whether Rhodes could do it to Orton, a man whose history with Rhodes makes their fight more emotionally complicated than a standard championship rivalry.
Rhodes quickly came to the ring to confront Orton. The situation threatened to turn physical immediately, with Rhodes calling for a fight on SmackDown rather than waiting for another official match. General Manager Nick Aldis and WWE officials followed closely behind Rhodes, stepping in before the confrontation could escalate into an unsanctioned brawl.
Aldis offered a solution by proposing that Rhodes and Orton face each other at Crown Jewel. Rhodes did not settle for a conventional match. He raised the stakes himself, challenging Orton to meet him in a Last Man Standing match.
“When all is said and done, you asked for this.”
Orton accepted, delivering that warning as the two rivals committed to the stipulation. The match now gives both men the kind of setting that leaves little room for hesitation, escape, or claims that the issue remains unsettled.
Why Last Man Standing Fits Rhodes vs. Orton
A Last Man Standing match is built around endurance and punishment rather than pinfalls or submissions. There are no traditional falls to separate the competitors. To win, one wrestler must incapacitate the other long enough that he cannot stand before the referee completes a 10-count. In a rivalry centered on whether Rhodes can match Orton’s brutality, the format is particularly fitting.
For Orton, the stipulation plays into the cold, deliberate style that has defined his most dangerous moments. His punt kick has already become a central symbol of this feud, and the absence of a normal match finish makes it easier for the veteran to target Rhodes with sustained damage. Orton also enters the bout having already proven that he can capitalize when Rhodes allows doubt to interrupt his decision-making.
For Rhodes, Crown Jewel presents an entirely different kind of test. He does not need to defeat Orton with a single move or outwrestle him for three seconds. He must withstand the punishment Orton brings and be prepared to inflict enough of his own to keep The Viper down. That will force Rhodes to confront the challenge Orton has repeatedly made: whether he can abandon hesitation when the moment demands it.
The announcement also changes the atmosphere around Rhodes’ WWE Championship reign, even though the Crown Jewel match was established as a grudge match rather than another title defense. Rhodes’ championship was the reason their WrestleMania match happened, but the conflict has grown beyond the title itself. Orton’s aim appears to be proving that Rhodes cannot survive his brand of warfare without becoming something different. Rhodes’ aim is to show he can put Orton down without allowing Orton to define him.
One Win Each, With No Easy Way Out
The record between them makes the Crown Jewel meeting a true rubber match. Rhodes won their first encounter at WrestleMania, retaining the WWE Championship. Orton answered at Sunday Night’s Main Event in their non-title match. Neither victory has erased the other, and both results have fueled the next stage of the conflict.
That split also gives each man a clear argument heading into Crown Jewel. Rhodes can point to the fact that he defeated Orton when the WWE Championship was on the line. Orton can point to his subsequent victory, as well as the hesitation he drew out of Rhodes before taking advantage of it. The Last Man Standing stipulation ensures that their third meeting will not be decided by the margins that have shaped previous confrontations.
There is also the matter of momentum. Rhodes’ decision to punt Corbin showed a willingness to embrace a weapon from Orton’s own playbook. Orton’s response on SmackDown showed he is not intimidated by that development. Instead, he views it as validation of his belief that Rhodes is changing because of him. At Crown Jewel, Rhodes will have the chance to reject that narrative—or prove Orton right by doing whatever is necessary to survive.
Nick Aldis’ intervention on SmackDown prevented Rhodes and Orton from settling their anger immediately, but it did not cool the situation. It redirected it toward a match designed for unresolved hatred. With officials needed to keep the two apart during their confrontation, the possibility of a volatile road to Crown Jewel remains high.
What Is at Stake at Crown Jewel
The most immediate prize is finality. Rhodes and Orton have traded victories, traded accusations, and traded increasingly dangerous attacks. A Last Man Standing match promises a result that will be difficult for either man to dispute. The winner will not just have beaten his rival; he will have left him unable to stand.
For Rhodes, that could mean moving beyond an adversary who has exposed one of the deepest internal conflicts of his championship run. For Orton, it could mean completing his effort to break Rhodes’ resolve and demonstrate that the WWE Champion cannot overcome him without embracing the same merciless instincts.
Rhodes made the stipulation choice, and Orton’s acceptance came with a direct reminder of that fact. At Crown Jewel, there will be no place for Rhodes to second-guess his next move and no easy path for Orton to claim an escape. Their rivalry has been pushed to a final, punishing test, with only one man expected to remain standing when the count is over.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.