Two major names advanced in the WWE King of the Ring tournament during Friday’s episode of SmackDown, as Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes moved one step closer to securing a championship match at SummerSlam.

Randy Orton battled LA Knight, Aleister Black, and Carmelo Hayes in a high-stakes Fatal 4-Way match. Late in the contest, chaos erupted when Bron Breakker stormed in and speared Knight. That interference opened the door for Orton to deliver a crushing RKO to Hayes, then capitalize by pinning Knight after Hayes had also landed an attack. With the win, Orton secured his spot in the semifinals.

Later in the night, Cody Rhodes faced Andrade, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Damian Priest. In a tense closing stretch, Nakamura seemed ready to steal the win with a surprise Cross Rhodes, but Cody countered and nailed his own Cross Rhodes on Nakamura to score the decisive three-count.

With the tournament heating up, Orton will now meet Sami Zayn in the semifinals, while Rhodes awaits his next opponent. On the women’s side, Jade Cargill will take on Roxanne Perez, and Alexa Bliss will face the winner of Asuka vs. Stephanie McMahon.

The King and Queen of the Ring tournaments return after last year’s event in Saudi Arabia, where Gunther defeated Orton to win the men’s bracket and Nia Jax overcame Lyra Valkyria to be crowned Queen.

THIS IS AWESOME!!! 👏👏👏#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/jXI5uUHecx

, WWE (@WWE) June 14, 2025