WWE just added another major match to Crown Jewel, and Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton are going to settle their problems in a Last Man Standing Match. The two have been at each other’s throats for weeks, and now they’ve agreed to face each other in one of WWE’s most brutal stipulations. The match was made official after another heated confrontation on SmackDown.
The announcement came during the October 23, 2026 episode of WWE SmackDown, when Orton came to the ring and started taking shots at Rhodes. Orton actually praised Cody for finally using a punt kick against Baron Corbin last week, saying he never thought Rhodes would have the guts to do something like that.
Orton claimed he was proud of Cody because he was the only person who managed to make him snap. However, he also warned that kicking someone like Corbin was one thing, but doing it to Orton would be a completely different story. Orton insisted that Cody would hesitate if he ever had the chance to punt him in the head.
That’s when Rhodes had heard enough. Cody came to the ring as Nick Aldis and WWE officials tried to keep the two separated. Rhodes called Orton a coward and reminded him of all the people he had hurt throughout his career, including Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Cody’s own father, Dusty Rhodes.
Rhodes also brought up Orton kicking him in the head, saying that while Orton was nursing his wounds in St. Louis, Cody was the one who walked away with his head held high. Cody then made it clear that he wasn’t afraid of Orton, telling him that the three most dangerous letters he needed to worry about were “I.O.U.”
Things nearly got physical when Rhodes removed his jacket, but Aldis stepped in before either man could throw a punch. Orton insisted that just because Cody wanted a fight didn’t mean he would get one.
Aldis had another idea. He suggested they settle things at Crown Jewel on November 7. Cody agreed, but he wanted something more than a regular match. He demanded a Last Man Standing Match, leaving Orton to decide whether he was willing to accept those terms. Orton eventually agreed and left Cody with one final warning, telling him to remember that he was the one who asked for this.
With the match now official, here’s the updated WWE Crown Jewel 2026 card:
- Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes — Last Man Standing Match
- Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn — Men’s Crown Jewel Championship Match
- Chelsea Green vs. Liv Morgan — Women’s Crown Jewel Championship Match
WWE Crown Jewel takes place on November 7, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. <text color=”secondary” inline>WWE’s previously announced champion-versus-champion matches are also listed on its official event page.
Orton and Rhodes have made this rivalry personal, and now neither man will be able to win simply by scoring a pinfall or submission. One of them will have to keep the other down for a ten-count.
Who do you think will be the last man standing when Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton finally settle their differences at Crown Jewel? Let us know in the comments.
