Cody Rhodes to be written off TV and potentially miss SummerSlam for a major reason? Chances explored

Night of Champions 2025 turned out to be a successful night for Cody Rhodes as he defeated his longtime friend and mentor, Randy Orton, to win the King of the Ring Tournament. In the main event of the show, John Cena retained his Undisputed WWE Championship against CM Punk. Hence, we may see the newly crowned king face The Last Real Champion at SummerSlam. However, there is a chance that Cody's status for The Biggest Party of the Summer may be put in jeopardy, courtesy of an unhinged Viper.

Expand Tweet

After coming up short against his former protégé at Night of Champions, the expressions on Randy Orton's face clearly suggested his frustration. The Viper failed to win the coveted crown after making it to the final for the second year in a row.

Going into Night of Champions, Randy's stance was clear: he would do anything and everything to get his revenge on John Cena and win his 15th World Title at SummerSlam. However, during the bout, when he had Cody in the position for a Punt Kick, The Viper hesitated to go through with the move.

One wrong move ruined his entire WWE career - Watch Now!

As the match reached its final stage, Randy's desperation to win was evident. After distracting the official with a steel chair, The Viper removed the turnbuckle pad, hoping to take advantage of it. However, it backfired on the veteran as Cody shoved him to the exposed steel before hitting a Cross Rhodes to pick up the win.

It could be argued that if Randy hadn't hesitated to hit the Punt Kick initially, he would have walked out of Riyadh with the coveted crown. Such a massive setback could push The Viper over the edge in the coming weeks.

Randy Orton could snap and launch a vicious attack on Cody Rhodes. This time, he may learn his lesson from Night of Champions and have no qualms about hitting the Punt Kick to The American Nightmare. Historically, The Viper's Punt Kick has put its victims on the shelf for weeks if not months, and the same could happen to The American Nightmare if he found himself on the receiving end of the vicious move.

If Cody Rhodes is written off TV, it would put a question mark on his status for SummerSlam. WWE may be forced to find a replacement for The American Nightmare, introducing the possibility for stars like Randy Orton and CM Punk to get another shot at The Never Seen 17.

With WWE hosting a two-night SummerSlam for the first time, it is unlikely that a massive star like Cody Rhodes will miss the event. However, this angle could be used to tease The American Nightmare's availability till the last second and add a layer of unpredictability to the event.

That said, the aforementioned angle is only speculative. Only time will tell what the Triple H-led creative regime has in store for SummerSlam.

Matt Hardy shares his thoughts on Cody Rhodes turning heel after winning the King of the Ring Tournament

Speaking on the Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Matt Hardy discussed the King of the Ring final between Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes. The WWE legend thought it was hard to imagine either of the two as king, as it didn't fit with their current characters.

Hardy suggested that if Cody were to turn heel, it would be interesting to see him call himself 'The American Nightmare, King Cody' after winning the tournament.

"That's a super interesting match because it's hard to imagine either of those guys deeming themself as King. Not necessarily fitting with their characters. If Cody was gonna turn heel, I think it would be a super interesting thing if he was King Cody. The American Nightmare, King Cody." [8:59 – 9:16]