With WWE Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, five days away, the feud between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton got even more personal. Orton brought the Rhodes family into it with a promise.
On Monday’s Raw from Brooklyn, New York, Orton came out shortly after John Cena announced Rhodes as the first one invited to the John Cena Classic.
Orton apologized for interrupting, but told Rhodes he needed his full attention before their last man standing match.
Orton noted that Rhodes has no experience at all with the stipulation, and said it means a lot more to him. Orton said Rhodes can call him “the last man standing,” since John Cena, Batista and Brock Lesnar are no longer active, and he promised he isn’t planning to go to Hollywood because his life is in WWE.
But Orton went further and brought up his match against Dusty Rhodes, Cody’s father, who passed away in 2015. Orton reminded Cody that he was the last man standing in his match with the legendary Dusty, whom he retired, and asked to be called the “Rhodes Killer,” a reference to his Legend Killer days.
Finally, Orton said Cody’s dream was always to be like his father, and he promised to make that dream come true on Saturday.
Orton defeated Dusty in a Texas Bullrope match at the 2007 Great American Bash, the last match of Dusty’s career. Cody’s first WWE match was against Orton on Raw days before the Bash.
In their ongoing feud, Rhodes defeated Orton at WrestleMania 42, but Orton hit him with a brutal punt kick after the match. Orton returned at SummerSlam and cost Rhodes his match against CM Punk for the Undisputed WWE Championship. In September, Orton won the rematch on Sunday Night’s Main Event by hitting Rhodes with a low blow and then an RKO.
That makes Crown Jewel the third match between the two. Rhodes was the one who picked the stipulation on the October 23 SmackDown.
This year’s Crown Jewel is set to take place on Saturday, November 7.