For most of 2026, Randy Orton has been feuding with Cody Rhodes, and their feud has only escalated in recent months. The two stars clashed once again in a brutal Last Man Standing match at Crown Jewel on Saturday that saw Cody Rhodes pick up the win.
Near the end of the match Cody hit The Viper with the Cross Rhodes three times, and Orton busted his head open on the steel ring steps which were in the ring. As Orton was trying to get up, Cody finally finished him off with the punt and Orton stayed down for the 10 count.
Following the Last Man Standing match, a fan posted a heartfelt message about watching Randy Orton’s career from the beginning. The Viper himself responded to the tweet and made it clear that he will be back when he posted the following:
“Whether it’s sooner, or later, I’ll be back. Guaranteed. WWE is my home away from home. I still have more to do, and until I am unable, I will continue to keep doing it.”
Dear Randy Orton,
I’ve been with you since the beginning.
Since that quiet, intense kid with the cold eyes walked out in 2002, already carrying the weight of a wrestling family on his shoulders.
I watched you rise with Evolution, watched you become the youngest World Heavyweight Champion, watched you reinvent yourself over and over – the Career Ender, the calculating Viper, the broken man who still found a way to stand.
Through battles that would have ended careers, through absences that left the product feeling emptier, through every reinvention… I stayed.
Tonight at Crown Jewel, in a Last Man Standing match against Cody Rhodes, they finally put you down. You absorbed everything. And then Cody – the man who once looked up to you – stopped the count, stepped back, and punted you. The same move you once made infamous. The same move that defined the ruthlessness you taught a generation.
I sat there watching the referee’s hand hit ten. Watching you stay down.
It hurt more than it should have for “just wrestling.” Because it wasn’t just wrestling for those of us who grew up with you. You were the constant. The guy who could walk into any era, any style, any feud, and still feel the number 1 guy.
You made us believe the RKO could come from anywhere. You made us believe longevity and intensity could coexist. You made the second, third, and fourth acts of a career look possible when so many peers faded.
Seeing you lose that way – out and finished with your own signature – felt like watching the last true predator get taken down in the only arena that ever really mattered to us.
I’m not writing this to pretend the match wasn’t hard-fought or that Cody didn’t earn the moment in the story they’re telling. I’m writing it because the emotion is real.
Because after more than two decades of following every chapter, tonight felt heavier than most losses. It felt like a page turning on something permanent.
You don’t owe us anything. You’ve already given more than almost anyone in this business ever has. But if you’re reading this – even for a second – know that the kid who started watching you in 2002 is still here. Still proud. Still loyal. Still believing the Viper has more venom left.
Get up when you’re ready, Randy.
We’ve waited before. We’ll wait again.Respect. Always.
A fan since the beginning.#RandyOrton #WWECrownJewel
— ᴢ ᴀ ɪ ʙ ɪ (@_xaibii) November 8, 2026
It’s not clear at this point in time if Randy will be taking some time away from WWE, but judging by the way things played out at Crown Jewel, and his tweet above it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s off TV for a while.
One way or another it seems that Cody’s feud with The Viper is done for now as The American Nightmare has already volunteered to join Team USA in the recently announced Team USA vs. Team Mexico five on five traditional Survivor Series match at the Survivor Series PLE.
Stay tuned for updates.