Cody Rhodes is the new King of the Ring and has an opportunity to win back his WWE Championship.
Competing at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia, The American Nightmare defeated Randy Orton to win the tournament and earn his upcoming title match. The closing moments of the match saw Rhodes drive Orton into the exposed turnbuckle and hit the Cross Rhodes to win the match. Orton exposed the turnbuckle after first bringing a chair into the ring to distract the referee.
The Raw and SmackDown General Managers, Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis, presented Rhodes with the crown after the match. When interviewed by Byron Saxton, Rhodes first thanked Orton before referencing his upcoming match at SummerSlam. Rhodes promised that he would win at SummerSlam as pyro went off to close out the segment.
Rhodes defeated Jey Uso to advance to the final, while Orton defeated Sami Zayn. Orton also made it to the final of the 2024 tournament, losing to Gunther despite a botched finish that saw Orton’s shoulder off the mat. The two met in the main event at Bash in Berlin later that year, with Gunther defeating Orton to retain the World Heavyweight Championship he won at SummerSlam.
The victory adds to Rhodes’ previous accolades since his return, which also includes 2 Royal Rumble victories, a year-long WWE Championship reign and a Tag Team Championship reign with Jey Uso.
Cody Rhodes In Line For SummerSlam Title Match Following King Of The Ring Victory
Much like in 2024, the winners of the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments will go on to face the champions of their respective brands at SummerSlam on August 2nd and 3rd. Assuming that John Cena retains the title over CM Punk in the main event, this means that a rematch between Rhodes and Cena is on the cards for New York.
Back at WrestleMania 41, Cena pinned Rhodes following a distraction from Travis Scott to win his record-breaking 17th World Championship. Rhodes pinned Cena in a tag team match at Money in the Bank earlier in the month thanks to a returning R-Truth.
Featured image: WWE
