One vital mistake cost Randy Orton the King of the Ring final against Cody Rhodes at WWE Night of Champions

At WWE Night of Champions, Cody Rhodes defeated his mentor, Randy Orton, in the final of the King of the Ring tournament. As predicted, he is now set to challenge John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam. Cena defeated CM Punk in the main event, courtesy of Seth Rollins' MITB cash-in attempt, and tonight's match brought Punk and Cena's legendary rivalry to an end.

Rhodes vs. Orton was a great, albeit slightly weird match. The Apex Predator had made it clear that he was desperate to win a shot at the WWE Championship, and he tried almost every dirty trick in the book to overcome his protege.

While Randy Orton was not afraid to take shortcuts at all, he still hesitated while lining up Rhodes for the Punt Kick. This hesitation from The Viper allowed Cody to get back in the match at a crucial juncture, and it may have been what turned the final around.

As for why this match was slightly weird, the description above obviously indicates that Randy Orton was teetering on the edge of villainy during the match. However, besides these incidents, it was actually Cody Rhodes who "played the heel" in the match, as is the case in a babyface vs babyface match. This might have been a complicated way to add more layers to the Randy Orton-Cody Rhodes dynamic, before The Viper potentially turns heel on The American Nightmare later this year.

Orton's seething and sadistic countenance, as he faced the entranceway while Cody Rhodes received the KOTR crown and cut his post-match promo, hinted strongly that Randy Orton regretted turning down the opportunity to Punt Kick his opponent.

On top of all his frustration, this moment of hesitation may make The Viper feel embarassed, especially since egos fly high in professional wrestling even among friends, and a man like Orton, despite his heart being in the right place of late, might still not be able to accept that Cody Rhodes is now the better man.

Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes: What could the next chapter be?

Tonight may have been the prologue to one of the most epic feuds in history. It is almost certain that Orton will be turning heel on Cody Rhodes at some point in the near future, most likely this year. Orton might turn on Rhodes at SummerSlam, costing him the WWE Championship out of spite.

However, the cold and calculated Viper is far too intelligent to help John Cena remain WWE Champion if he can't readily challenge for the title. What would make more sense is for The Legend Killer to strike Cody Rhodes after he wins back the WWE Championship.

Randy Orton may be angry, but he has never been a fool. Instead of making it all about revenge, Orton's focus would remain on a 15th World Championship. In The Viper's eyes, victimizing Cody Rhodes would be just the cherry on top.

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Edited by Jacob Terrell