WWE has confirmed that Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton will face each other in a Last Man Standing Match at Crown Jewel 2026, an event scheduled to take place on November 7 in Saudi Arabia. The stipulation was proposed by Rhodes himself during an intense confrontation with Orton on the October 23 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, setting the stage for a new chapter in a rivalry that has continued for much of the year.
The match was made official by SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis after both wrestlers engaged in a tense war of words. Orton warned his former partner to be careful what he wished for, making it clear that he is prepared to take their rivalry into much more violent territory.
During the segment held on SmackDown, Cody Rhodes made it clear that he wanted to face Randy Orton immediately, but The Viper rejected the possibility of having the match that same night.
In response, Rhodes proposed settling their differences under Last Man Standing Match rules, a stipulation in which the winner must keep their opponent down and unable to get back to their feet before the referee completes a ten-count.
Orton responded by warning Rhodes that he should be careful what he was asking for. Nick Aldis eventually intervened to confirm that the match will take place at Crown Jewel.
The match will give both wrestlers another opportunity to prove who is superior, after splitting victories in their most important encounters of 2026.
The history between Rhodes and Orton dates back to Cody's first run in WWE, when the two were members of The Legacy alongside Ted DiBiase Jr. However, their relationship has developed into an intense rivalry over the past several months.
The two faced each other in one of the featured matches at WrestleMania 42, where Cody Rhodes defeated Randy Orton. Months later, The Viper evened the score with a victory at Sunday Night's Main Event in September.
Throughout the storyline, Orton has repeatedly questioned Rhodes' killer instinct, accusing him of not being ruthless enough to prevail when the situation demands it. Cody's hesitation was one of the factors that cost him the match in September. However, over the past few weeks, the wrestler has shown a considerably more aggressive attitude.
One of the most recent examples took place on the previous episode of SmackDown, when Rhodes attacked Baron Corbin with a devastating kick to the head known as the Punt Kick, one of Randy Orton's signature moves. This change in attitude adds another element to their Crown Jewel encounter, where the stipulation will allow both men to use a much more aggressive strategy than in a conventional match.
The addition of the Last Man Standing Match expands a card that already features two Crown Jewel Championship matches, one in the men's division and one in the women's division.
For now, WWE still has Crown Jewel 2026 scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, although the security situation in the Middle East has created uncertainty regarding the event's final location. These are the matches announced so far for the November 7 event:
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