Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes tore through the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on Friday night, closing SmackDown with a wild brawl that marked another major escalation in their reignited rivalry.
Earlier in the show, Rhodes confronted General Manager Nick Aldis backstage and demanded another match with Orton. Aldis floated Sunday Night’s Main Event on June 9 as a possibility, and Rhodes made it clear he was willing to fight the Viper anywhere, anytime.
The scheduled SmackDown main event, however, told a different story. Rhodes was set to face Sami Zayn, with a Zayn victory earning him an Undisputed WWE Championship opportunity against the winner of CM Punk vs. Kevin Owens. The match never happened.
As Zayn made his entrance, Orton attacked Rhodes. The brawl quickly spiraled out of control, spilling through the ring, around ringside, and into the crowd. Steel steps, a trash can, and a chair all came into play as officials scrambled to separate them.
Rhodes managed to land a low blow on Orton and later blasted him with the chair. Even with a swarm of officials on the scene, neither man would back off, and SmackDown went off the air with the chaos still raging.
The wild closing segment adds even more fuel to a potential match at Sunday Night’s Main Event, though WWE has yet to make it official.