Cody Rhodes to be stripped of the King of the Ring crown after his win over Randy Orton? Exploring Night of Champions controversy

Cody Rhodes survived a tough battle against his good friend and mentor Randy Orton at Night of Champions and won the Finals of the King of the Ring Tournament.

His victory, though, didn't come without controversy, as The Viper did everything to claim the win and even exposed the top turnbuckle, but his plan backfired.

The American Nightmare shoved him towards the exposed turnbuckle and hit a Cross Rhodes on the former WWE Champion to earn the win and a title shot at SummerSlam.

The fact that he won the match with the help of the exposed turnbuckle could have repercussions for Cody Rhodes, though, as Orton had the upper hand in the match at the time. Moreover, referees do not allow superstars to remove the turnbuckle pad in a singles match, and it could cause the higher-ups to force Rhodes to relinquish his crown.

Though The American Nightmare is now heading to a rematch with John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, he could be stripped of his King of the Ring crown and miss the opportunity to reclaim gold at SummerSlam.

Orton and Rhodes should address what happened at Night of Champions this Friday on SmackDown, but the most likely scenario is for the latter to keep his crown and go to SummerSlam for a title shot against the 17-time world champion.

Orton, meanwhile, lost the King of the Ring Finals due to controversy for the second time in a row, which could lead to him demanding to get added to the Rhodes vs. Cena match at SummerSlam, making it a Triple Threat Match.

This scenario would be the perfect ending to the Rhodes/Cena feud and would help start the feud between The American Nightmare and The Viper.

WWE boss says the 'path back' to the title starts now for Cody Rhodes

WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H took to social media and congratulated Jade Cargill and Cody Rhodes, the Queen and King of the Ring 2025.

Cargill will likely go after Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women's Championship, since she is on SmackDown.

As for Rhodes, it would be a major surprise if he picked Gunther and not John Cena, which Triple H confirmed after Night of Champions.

"The path back to the Undisputed WWE Championship starts now for Cody Rhodes," The Game wrote on X.

Friday on SmackDown, we will get a better look at what is next in the title picture, with SummerSlam just a month away, but it is a no-brainer that WWE is preparing for a blockbuster main event.

Edited by Arsh Das