Bully Ray believes Randy Orton delivered the best promo of his entire career on WWE RAW, singling out the segment in which Orton confronted Cody Rhodes to build toward their upcoming Last Man Standing match at Crown Jewel 2026.
Speaking on “Busted Open Radio,” the WWE Hall of Famer broke down why the promo stood out to him. According to Bully Ray, Orton’s message centered on the idea that he remained a professional wrestler through the years while others around him chased opportunities to become movie stars. That framing, Bully Ray argued, gave the promo a sharper edge than much of Orton’s past work on the microphone, and he described it as the strongest promo of Orton’s lengthy run in WWE.
The segment served as direct build toward the Last Man Standing match between Orton and Rhodes scheduled for Crown Jewel 2026, a stipulation that typically signals a bitter, personal feud rather than a straightforward title pursuit. Orton’s comments about staying a wrestler while others sought stardom elsewhere appear aimed squarely at Rhodes, who has become one of WWE’s most prominent faces both in and out of the ring.
Bully Ray did not limit his RAW commentary to Orton. He also addressed Blake Monroe during the same discussion, labeling her WWE’s “new Sandman,” a reference to the chaotic, unpredictable ECW original known for his cane-swinging entrances and brawling style. The comparison suggests Bully Ray sees Monroe carving out a similarly unconventional, hard-edged persona within WWE’s current product, though the specifics of what prompted the comparison were not detailed beyond the label itself.
The praise from Bully Ray adds another layer of momentum to the Orton-Rhodes rivalry as it heads toward Crown Jewel 2026. Last Man Standing matches are built around escalating physicality rather than pinfalls or submissions, and the personal nature of Orton’s promo, as characterized by Bully Ray, points to a blow-off encounter rooted in more than just an in-ring disagreement. No further details on the build toward the match, including any additional segments or stipulations, were included in the available reporting.
