Crown Jewel Opener: Rhodes Beats Orton in Last Man Standing
Summary: Cody Rhodes beat Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match, 27:20, to open WWE Crown Jewel on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Riyadh, ending it with a punt. The show was still under way at 1 PM ET.
- 27:20Last Man Standing matchCody Rhodesdef.Randy Orton
Punt, and Orton did not beat the 10 count.
The quick version
- Cody Rhodes beat Randy Orton in 27:20, per ProWrestling.net, when Orton could not stand by the referee's count of 10 after a punt.
- Orton hit a low blow late. Rhodes answered with three Cross Rhodes, and Orton was cut open when his head hit the ring steps.
- The show was still under way when we wrote this, about 1 PM ET. The World Tag Team Championship match was next, and the two Crown Jewel Championship matches were still to come.
Event
WWE Crown Jewel, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The show began at noon ET on ESPN Unlimited in the U.S. and on Netflix elsewhere. ProWrestling.net, Wrestleview and Wrestling Inc name the building ANB Arena. Our earlier card story called it The Venue, from WWE's October announcement. We have not settled the difference.
This story covers the first match only. We will cover the rest of the show in our Crown Jewel results.
Results
How it went
Orton took control early. He sent Rhodes into the announce desk and powerbombed him through a table on the stage, per Wrestleview and ProWrestling.net. Rhodes beat the count each time.
Rhodes used weapons too. He hit Orton with a trash can and the ring steps, and the two fought through the crowd. Late on, Rhodes set a ladder beside an announce table and dived from it. Orton rolled away and Rhodes went through the table. Both men beat the count.
In the final minutes Orton stopped a chair shot with a low blow. Rhodes got up, hit three Cross Rhodes, and Orton's head struck the ring steps, which opened a cut, per ProWrestling.net. Rhodes then stopped the referee's count at nine, per Wrestleview, and hit the punt. He had said on the Oct. 30 SmackDown that the Last Man Standing would be "the only man punting." The count then reached 10.
After the bell
The crowd reaction was mixed, and Rhodes was booed at times, per Wrestleview and ProWrestling.net. ProWrestling.net says Rhodes sat on the apron afterward and that commentator Michael Cole said he looked disappointed in himself for stooping to Orton's level. That is Cole's read as reported, not ours.
The live accounts split on pace. Wrestleview called it a strong opener. Wrestling Inc's live blog said it felt a little flat early on. ProWrestling.net's Jason Powell called it a solid match that felt a little tame next to AEW's Blood and Guts matches on Nov. 4.
What is next
The World Tag Team Championship match was next, per Wrestleview and Wrestling Inc: The Vision's Bron Breakker and Austin Theory against Penta and Je'Von Evans. Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn and Liv Morgan vs. Chelsea Green are the two Crown Jewel Championship matches.
Source: live reports from Wrestleview, ProWrestling.net, Wrestling Inc and The Chairshot, with Bleacher Report for the result. They agree on the finish. Where they differ on the order of spots, we kept only what at least two agree on. We did not watch the show. The 27:20 time comes from ProWrestling.net alone.
Sources
- ProWrestling.net (Jason Powell), "WWE Crown Jewel results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn for the Crown Jewel Championship, Chelsea Green vs. Liv Morgan for the Women's Crown Jewel Championship", Nov. 7, 2026 (match time, finish, the cut, crowd, Cole's remark). https://prowrestling.net/site/2026/11/07/wwe-crown-jewel-results-powells-review-of-roman-reigns-vs-sami-zayn-for-the-crown-jewel-championship-chelsea-green-vs-liv-morgan-for-the-womens-crown-jewel-championship
- Wrestleview (Alex Kahrs), "WWE Crown Jewel Results, 11/7/26", Nov. 7, 2026 (play by play, the tag match announced next). https://wrestleview.com/top-story/396823-wwe-crown-jewel-results-11-7-26-mens-and-womens-crown-jewel-championships-and-more
- Wrestling Inc (Olivia Quinlan), "WWE Crown Jewel 11/7/26 W/ Live Updates", updated Nov. 7, 2026, 1:02 PM EST (venue name, the ladder spot, the finish). https://wrestlinginc.com/2310034/wwe-crown-jewel-2026-results
- The Chairshot (Mitchell), "WWE Crown Jewel Results & Report! (11/7/26)", Nov. 7, 2026 (result and finish). https://thechairshot.com/2026/11/mitchells-wwe-crown-jewel-results-report-11-7-26
- Bleacher Report, "Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton Last Man Standing Winner, Top Highlights from WWE Crown Jewel 2026", Nov. 7, 2026 (result). https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25521104-cody-rhodes-vs-randy-orton-last-man-standing-winner-top-highlights-wwe-crown-jewel-2026
- WWE.com, "SmackDown results: Oct. 30, 2026" and highlight clip, Oct. 30, 2026 (Rhodes's punting line). https://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2026-10-30/results
- WrestlingNews.com staff reporting: compared five live accounts of the match. We did not watch the show.
How we credit sources: Editorial standards.