Cody Rhodes Crowned King Of The Ring At WWE Night Of Champions

Cody Rhodes was crowned the King of the Ring at Night of Champions.

He opened the show with Randy Orton in front of a rapturous Riyadh crowd.

The former ‘Legacy’ stablemates had a lot to lose and a lot to gain, with the winner set to challenge for the championship at SummerSlam.

Orton was chasing his opportunity at a 15th world title; Rhodes, meanwhile, a chance to claim his second major gold as the face of the company.

After exchanging a few shots in the beginning, Orton went for a superplex. While he successfully landed it, he also appeared to have injured his back.

Rhodes definitely noticed this, as he primarily attacked Orton’s spine and kidneys, wearing him down. Things got messy for the Viper after his opponent put him in a figure-four lock later.

The back-and-forth action saw The American Nightmare kick out of two RKOs. In the closing minutes, Orton exposed the turnbuckle, but the move backfired.

Rhodes hit the Cross Rhodes for the win.

Cody Rhodes To Contest For The Undisputed WWE Championship

Later in the night, John Cena will face CM Punk for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

The veterans will face each other for the first time in 14 years after Punk quit WWE in 2011.

Cody Rhodes’ coronation means he will face the winner of the Cena vs. Punk match at SummerSlam.