For weeks, Cody Rhodes had faced questions about whether he was willing to go far enough when it mattered. At WWE Crown Jewel on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, his Last Man Standing match with Randy Orton gave him a chance to answer them.
Rhodes had repeatedly hinted he might punt Orton after Orton attacked him following Rhodes’ WrestleMania 42 win, leaving him with a badly injured eye. By the end of Crown Jewel, Orton had taken a kick to the head and was bleeding from a cut.
The match quickly turned into a punishing brawl. The two fought briefly in the crowd, where Orton used a trash can against Rhodes, then moved to the stage. Orton powerbombed Rhodes through a table.
Rhodes regained some momentum by attacking Orton with the steel steps. He then tried to finish the match with a splash from a ladder while Orton was laid out on the Arabic commentary table. The risky move backfired, and Rhodes crashed down instead.
Orton looked poised to take over, but Rhodes kept pressing. Orton attempted to punt him and leave him down for the count, only to miss.
Rhodes hit several Cross Rhodes, and Orton’s head struck the edge of the steel steps, which Rhodes had moved into the ring. Blood began running from the top of Orton’s head. Rhodes then prevented referee Charles Robinson from continuing the count.
With Orton hurt, Rhodes delivered a punt to the head and secured the win.
After months of teasing retaliation, Rhodes finally got his payback. Still, the decision seemed to weigh on him. He has been expected to represent what it means to be “QB1,” and the punt may point to a harder edge in his approach from here on.
