Cody Rhodes has a final message to Gunther ahead of WWE Crown Jewel

Cody Rhodes and Gunther will wrestle for the first time in a one-on-one contest at WWE Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But they are no strangers to one another.

It all began at the Royal Rumble in 2023 when it came down to The American Nightmare and The Ring General as the final two competitors. They took on one another yet again earlier this year at the same event. However, at Crown Jewel, the stakes are higher. According to Rhodes, the one who walks out of Riyadh will be viewed as the flagbearer of the company, the undisputed champion.

Taking to Instagram, Cody Rhodes shared a seven-word message sending a clear message to his opponent. The American Nightmare wants the Crown Jewel Championship to clear any doubts about who the top guy of WWE is:

"Time to check off a new box. #WWECrownJewel," Cody Rhodes wrote.

It is worth noting that neither man's path ahead is devoid of potential interferences. Cody has made an enemy out of Kevin Owens, who will face Randy Orton tonight. Gunther has laid down a challenge to Goldberg amid rumblings of the WWE Hall of Famer's potential surprise appearance at the event.

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Cody Rhodes responds to Kevin Owens's accusations against him

Kevin Owens turned on Cody Rhodes at Bad Blood following the show's main event, which was a tag team match featuring Rhodes allying with their longtime enemy, Roman Reigns.

It seems The Prizefighter feels The American Nightmare turned on him first when the latter decided to mend fences with The OTC. When asked to comment on the matter during an interview with Cathy Kelley, the Undisputed WWE Champion kept his words to a minimum:

"I can't go too far down the road or pull that threat with Kevin [Owens] for reasons you might know in terms of it's something that's being handled internally, which again, I totally understand the question," he said. "Hopefully, everyone can kinda come to a resolution on it, and I respect the fact that you're open to all sides of it."

Cody Rhodes is not the only friend Kevin Owens turned on in recent weeks. The former Universal Champion has also made an enemy out of Randy Orton. The Viper was asked point-blank about The Prizefighter's new outlook, comparing the latter's demeanor to his many years ago. Orton believes the two are totally different because Owens is old enough to know better.