Randy Orton cost Cody Rhodes a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match on the Oct. 2 episode of SmackDown. The former Undisputed WWE Champion had just hit Cross Rhodes on Kevin Owens when the Viper pulled the referee out of the ring. The Prizefighter went on to win the triple threat, finishing Johnny Gargano with a Pop-up Powerbomb.
Orton and Rhodes first shared a ring as partners in Legacy, a stable formed in 2008 that also included Ted DiBiase Jr. The group fell apart at WrestleMania XXVI on March 28, 2010, in a triple threat won by the Viper. Orton punted Rhodes afterward, and his former partner missed about a month of action.
After finishing third in the Royal Rumble on Jan. 31, Orton won his second career Elimination Chamber on Feb. 28. The victory earned him a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42. Rhodes took the title back from Drew McIntyre on March 6. On the March 13 SmackDown, the Viper attacked the newly crowned champion during their contract signing, his first heel turn since 2021.
Rhodes retained against Orton on Night 1 of WrestleMania 42, landing Cross Rhodes after the Viper hit Pat McAfee with an RKO. The commentator had stepped in as referee after the original official went down. After the bell, Orton brought back the punt and stood over Rhodes holding the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Sami Zayn ended the champion’s reign at Night of Champions on June 27 in a triple threat that also included Gunther. Rhodes then received a title shot against new champion CM Punk at SummerSlam on Aug. 1 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. After a three-month absence, Orton returned during that match.
Rhodes accidentally took out the referee while going for a Cody Cutter. The Viper hit him with an RKO, and Punk followed with a Go to Sleep for the pinfall. Orton punted Rhodes again before leaving.
Orton and Rhodes met at Sunday Night’s Main Event on Sept. 6 in a WrestleMania rematch. The Viper won with an RKO after landing a low blow on both his opponent and a referee trying to separate them. The match ran 18 minutes and 31 seconds and included three referee bumps. At the end of the show, Orton sat across the ring from an injured Rhodes.
Orton is a 14-time world champion, with ten WWE Championship reigns and four World Heavyweight Championship reigns. The total ties him for the third-most world title reigns in WWE history. Rhodes and the Viper have split their two major-event singles matches in 2026.
The feud needs an ending, and Orton needs to be the one standing at the end of it. The Viper has cost Rhodes a title match, beaten him with a low blow, and pulled a referee to keep him out of Money in the Bank. Every one of those moments came with an asterisk. Rhodes has spent seven months looking over his shoulder. One more match and one clean RKO finishes the story for good.
Rhodes has already had his run at the top. Two Undisputed WWE Championship reigns since SummerSlam 2025 is a full résumé, and a two-time champion can absorb a rivalry loss. Orton turning heel for the first time since 2021 only works if the turn leads somewhere. A 14-time world champion should not spend the back half of his career as a roadblock who never finishes the job.
The Legacy history makes the ending even better. Orton punted Rhodes at WrestleMania XXVI in 2010, and the Viper has done it twice more in 2026, once at WrestleMania 42 and again at SummerSlam. A clean victory closes the book, and the leader of Legacy finally gets the payoff he has chased since March. Anything less than a clean finish leaves the door open for a fourth chapter nobody needs. The RKO should be the last word.
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