Cody Rhodes defeated Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match to open Crown Jewel, which is underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Rhodes won with the banned Punt Kick, the same move Orton hit him with at WrestleMania 42.
The feud between the two went far beyond the ring. After losing to Rhodes in an Undisputed WWE Championship match on April 18, Orton attacked him with the belt and hit the Punt Kick, which injured his orbital bone. At SummerSlam in August, Orton made a surprise return and cost Rhodes his title match against CM Punk.
Saturday’s match was a violent one from start to finish, with tables, chairs, the steel steps and even a trash can used as weapons. The crowd was loudly behind Orton, who nearly won multiple times. On the stage, Orton powerbombed Rhodes through a table. Orton set Rhodes up for the Punt Kick, but Rhodes escaped and responded with a Cody Cutter.
.@CodyRhodes just PUNTED @RandyOrton! 🤯 https://t.co/GRfEmfuNcX
— WWE (@WWE) November 7, 2026
But after taking a low blow out of nowhere, Rhodes eventually hit Orton with three Cross Rhodes in a row. This time, he didn’t hesitate and finished him off with the Punt Kick. Orton couldn’t get up before the 10 count, which gave Rhodes the win.
Rhodes hit the Punt Kick 203 days after he was attacked in Las Vegas. On SmackDown in October, Rhodes hit Baron Corbin with the Punt Kick, which led to Orton questioning if Rhodes would have the guts to do the same to him.
With the win, Rhodes leads Orton 2-1 in singles matches in 2026. Orton won only once, on September 6 at Sunday Night’s Main Event in Atlanta.