Cody Rhodes opened up on the fight between The Elite (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks) and CM Punk at the AEW All Out pay-per-view last September. 

The Elite have since returned to TV while Punk, who suffered an injury in the All Out main event, is still on the sidelines. AEW President Tony Khan has yet to comment on Punk’s status with the promotion. 

Rhodes was one of the names that helped launch the promotion in 2019. While appearing on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour, Rhodes commented on the Brawl Out incident. 

The Next Day

Rhodes recalled waking up to 63 text messages and was worried that someone from AEW said something about him at the press conference. 

Rhodes noted he still has a great relationship with The Young bucks and Omega. He admitted it was tested by them being younger executives and having different opinions on wrestling, but that made them work. He said they’re bonded forever because of that. He also had a great relationship with Punk and had dinner with him every week in AEW. 

Rhodes went on to talk about his relationships with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, noting that it was indeed tested by their differing opinions on the sport of pro wrestling. Rhodes also talked about his relationship with CM Punk, noting that they had a great relationship despite not talking much.

“So when I watched it just from me sitting there, I was not — there was some people texting me. I remember somebody texted me, ‘Man, you’re the smartest guy in the room. I wanted to write back like, ‘F— you, man.’ I don’t feel that way. I feel this thing we built got damaged. I’m not putting any blame on anybody. Sorry, super Switzerland.”

The Brawl

Rhodes stated he doesn’t put any of the blame on anybody but didn’t like to see it. 

“I just hated seeing that, because as the company grows, and I hope it continues to grow, I hope people remember the mission in the first place and why we were there. If you bring in people who don’t know the mission, then things like that can happen.

I’m not saying he didn’t know the mission or anything of that nature, but I was just bummed out. That’s how I felt, I was bummed out. because I have — you win the title, it’s a feather in your cap. You win the Royal Rumble, it’s a feather in your cap. Building an alternative wrestling promotion is definitely a feather in the cap. I don’t want that to be erased. I don’t want that to go away.”

“Plus, there’s not as many jobs in wrestling as people think. There’s about 1000 people who work there structurally, infrastructure and talent. I’m proud of them. I want to make sure they’re able to feed their families and that was a situation that was so big and heavy. I don’t think it was helpful. I don’t know, maybe you could make it helpful. Maybe you can do something with it. That’s how I felt.

No heat on Punk. No heat on Matt, Nick, Kenny, or Tony, I was just bummed out when I saw it. That’s not how we envisioned it. The spirit of ‘All In,’ if you ever lose the spirit, you’re lost. I think the spirit was gone in that moment, doesn’t mean can’t get it back, but it was just a bummer.”

Rhodes departed from AEW last year to make his return to WWE at WrestleMania 38. Rhodes will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title at WrestleMania 39 this month. 

H/T to Fightful for the transcript

Last year, Cody Rhodes shocked the wrestling world when he jumped ship from AEW to WWE. He made his return after 7 years at WrestleMania 38.

He famously wrestled with a torn pectoral at the 2022 Hell in A Cell before having surgery. Rhodes returned at this year’s Royal Rumble to enter the Rumble match at #30. He battled with Gunther to win the Rumble and become the #1 contender for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.

Matt Hardy’s Comments

On the latest episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Hardy said he was “very proud of him.” He reflected on their time together during in Jacksonville during the Pandemic Era. Due to spending so much time at Daily’s Place and “filming Dark until 2 AM”, Hardy and Rhodes spent a lot of time together.

“It was cool, man. I thought Cody killed it when we first came into WWE. I think him leaving AEW and going to WWE — the first major jump from an AEW to WWE deal — I think it’s good for business. I think it’s good for interest, I think it’s good for wrestling fans, I think it’s good for the entire biz, just in general.”

• Dijak Auctioning Off Entrance Worn Jacket to Benefit Pugh Family

“So I was very happy for him to come back and I was happy that he won the Royal Rumble. And I think he’s the guy that should have won the Royal Rumble. I like that direction. And I’m really interested to see what him and Roman are going to do at Mania.”

WrestleMania 39 takes place in Los Angeles on April 1 and 2.

This week’s episode of WWE Raw featured a heavily praised segment between Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman that saw them both get emotional. 

The promo segment was done to promote further Cody Rhodes challenging  Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.

Fightful Select had details on the backstage reaction to the promo that was said to have benefitted from looser scripting under Triple H compared to what he had been under Vince McMahon. 

Those close to Heyman stated that he was surprised by Rhodes mentioning Dusty Rhodes getting booked by ECW in 2000 and that the family needed those bookings. People close to Cody stated they weren’t sure whether Heyman had been told how important the ECW bookings were to the Rhodes family in general.

The Reaction

Heyman wrote his part of the promo, while Cody wrote his.  Those involved with the segment were very pleased with it, and WWE officials were thrilled with the content and the reactions from fans. 

One WWE higher-up source told Fightful: “Cody Rhodes is a star, and Paul Heyman is a starmaker. They were in a difficult position, and made something that seemed like a manufactured booking decision become a personal, WrestleMania main event if it ends up going that direction.”

Cody Rhodes has offered his thoughts on WWE’s creative control transferring from Vince McMahon to Triple H.

Rhodes recently took part in an interview with Alex McCarthy of Daily Mail and was asked about the transition of creative power going from McMahon to Triple H.

The 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble winner was out of action (pectoral injury) from June 2022 through January 2023. A lot happened in WWE during that time, to say the least. Most notably – the exit and return of Vince McMahon. Vince is back as Executive Chairman of WWE’s Board of Directors, but Triple H is very much in control of day-to-day operations.

Rhodes says both Vince McMahon and Triple H were in touch during his hiatus. He acknowledged they each have very different visions for WWE. At the end of the day, he’s focused on being the best WWE Superstar he can be.

“At the time when the transition happened, I wasn’t even close to coming back and I was communicated with every step of the way,” he said. “I was communicated with by Vince and by Triple H. That was very nice. I was never left in the dark on anything and obviously, these are different visions, they change.

Rhodes to WrestleMania

Cody Rhodes returned to WWE in April of last year as Seth Rollins’ surprise opponent at WrestleMania 38. After a tremendous rivalry with Rollins, Rhodes was forced to be sidelined for most of the year with a pectoral injury.

Upon making his in-ring return at the Royal Rumble last month, winning the match, Rhodes has now punched his ticket to WrestleMania, where he will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Title.

• Cody Rhodes & Paul Heyman’s WWE Raw Segment Booked for a Good Reason

Quotes via WrestleZone

WWE had an important objective to achieve in booking Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman’s memorable in-ring segment on Monday’s Raw.

Rhodes has a one-way ticket to the main event of WrestleMania Goes Hollywood. As of this writing, he’s scheduled to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Of course, Sami Zayn is the X-factor that could change everything when he challenges Reigns for the titles at Elimination Chamber in less than two weeks.

We’re most likely going to see Reigns vs. Rhodes at WrestleMania, but WWE has to walk a thin line and make sure this long-planned bout is not derailed by Zayn’s surging popularity.

On the Feb. 7 episode of Monday Night Raw, Rhodes addressed the Orlando, Florida crowd. While he was talking, Heyman came out to continue the build for Rhodes’s match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. Rhodes and Heyman got personal because of Heyman’s history with Cody’s father, Dusty.

The segment struck a chord with WWE fans and created anticipation for the inevitable confrontation between Rhodes and Reigns. According to Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, it’s reported that the segment was made to make the WrestleMania 39 match the primary focus for fans.

He added, “It’s very important to the entire company that the Cody match is not the secondary match. But it’s also important that people don’t look at it as a competition between the two of them (Rhodes and Zayn), and then the people get behind Sami Zayn, and then that screws up Cody as a babyface.”

Walking a Fine Line with Rhodes & Zayn

WWE is entirely behind Rhodes vs. Reigns for the Undisputed Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39. However, they will first have Reigns defend the title against Zayn in his home country of Canada at Elimination Chamber on Feb. 18. The WWE fans are behind Zayn. Still, they also support Rhodes and seem to look forward to the WrestleMania match.

It seems WWE is in a good position with two great babyfaces. WWE may have already figured out a way to get to Rhodes vs. Reigns without the fans complaining about Zayn. However, we will have to wait and see how the story will transpire.

• Related: WWE Had Plans for New World Championship at WrestleMania 39

H/T: Liam Winnard of Wrestletalk for the transcribed quotes

The emotional in-ring war of words between Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman has got everybody talking, including a member of the AEW roster.

During Raw, Cody Rhodes’ address to the WWE Universe was interrupted by Heyman, who spoke about the close bond he had with Cody’s father Dusty.

After some heartwarming reminiscing, Heyman spoke about the names Dusty trained, including Roman Reigns (Rhodes’ WrestleMania 39 opponent), and noted that the American Dream did not train his son.

Heyman (fighting back tears) recalled his final talk with Dusty, who said that Cody was his favorite son, but Roman Reigns is the son he always wished he had.

In response, Cody said that since Heyman has made this personal, he vows to dethrone Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania

Reaction

Cody may have been Dusty’s favorite son (according to Heyman) but the American Nightmare isn’t the only son of the American Dream.

Dustin Rhodes now works in AEW, and in a tweet, showed his support for his brother, and had a piece of advice for what Cody should do to Heyman.

Dustin and Dusty

Dustin Rhodes and his father would share the screen throughout the respective careers of both men.

As part of Dusty’s feud with the ‘Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase, the father and son teamed at the 1991 Royal Rumble in a losing effort to DiBiase and Virgil.

After making appearances together in WCW and outside televised wrestling, the two reunited for Goldust’s green card wedding to Aksana on NXT in 2010.

The American Dream would also be present for his son’s tag-team match against The Shield (Reigns and Seth Rollins) at Battleground 2013, which earned a Match of the Year nomination at that year’s Slammy Awards.

Cody Rhodes has already confirmed that he will challenge for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39, a title currently held by Roman Reigns. 

Rhodes earned the shot by winning the 30-Man Royal Rumble match. If Reigns retains the title against Sami Zayn at the Elimination Chamber on February 18, Reigns will meet Rhodes in the main WrestleMania event. 

For nearly a year, WWE had hoped to have The Rock back for a match with Reigns at Mania. However, The Rock didn’t feel like he was in good enough ring shape for a WrestleMania main event match and turned it down. 

Some fans have been pushing for Sami Zayn to be inserted into the WrestleMania main event because of his strong storyline with The Bloodline. 

While speaking to Alex McCarthy of Daily Mail, Cody talked about the ongoing story between Zayn and The Bloodline. Rhodes noted that sometimes fans think it should be one wrestler or another in a top spot. He thinks the fans can get everything if decided upon by management. 

“I was fully expecting these things to converge, and I’m still expecting them to converge just because we have these wonderful options.” 

This was when he noted that the current WWE stories are better than having The Rock back at WrestleMania 39. 

• The Rock Praises Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins For Their Hell In A Cell Match

The Rock

“With all the respect in the world to one of the GOATs The Rock, it looks like the options we have here within the roster are even better because of the stories that are happening. One story about finishing something that started in 1978 – seven years before I was even born – and another story of really the tragedy of being welcomed into the Bloodline and then what you saw unfolds.

I think with the amount of time between now and WrestleMania, it’s important I keep my eyes squarely fixed on WrestleMania, squarely wrestling for the WWE Undisputed Championship and as you hinted that may not be against Roman Reigns. Now I don’t know if anyone can beat Roman Reigns, I truly don’t, but for me, it’s about picking up the chip. I love the melodrama,I love the heaviness in these stories that develop in our industry, but I am very simply a man who’s looking for a belt.

I’m looking for a championship title belt, the most important one in our world the biggest in all – not just in the WWE bubble but in all the bubbles – and be the first to say as a Rhodes I did it, and it wasn’t Dusty Rhodes and it wasn’t Dustin Rhodes it was Cody Rhodes.”

The Rock has reportedly left the door open to doing the match at WrestleMania 40 next year. 

Royal Rumble was one of the biggest nights of his career for Cody Rhodes. He was making his return from a gruesome injury after months and he went on to pick up one of the biggest wins of his career. In the heat of the moment, however, Rhodes committed what he calls a ‘cardinal sin’ in the wrestling business.

The winner of the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble recently appeared on After The Bell podcast. Speaking about his performance at the PPV, Rhodes revealed that he did not know where the hard cam was:

“I did commit what I’d call kind of a cardinal sin in the wrestling game. My dad would be really irked if he knew this. I did not walk the arena earlier in the day. I did not walk the ramp. I did not get in the ring. I was very much held behind doors. Because of that, I will admit I had no clue and I still have not figured it out. I didn’t know where the hard cam was.”

“Okay, Welcome Back”: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes explained that his father the late great Dusty Rhodes would have not been too happy knowing this detail. It ended up not mattering in the end per Rhodes because the cameras managed to capture the best moment of the night:

I tried. Then at a certain point, I just figured I had found it but then the sign was that way and I figured ‘Nope that can’t [be it]’. So I really was just looking to get all [corners] ‘Let’s just get all fours.’ That was one of those [reminding moments] ‘Okay, welcome back.’ Because that’s something you absolutely have to cover.

That’s part of being a professional. Put your face to the camera and here I am claiming to be one of the world’s top professionals [not knowing]. I would have got a kick in the ass from the old man, and my brother for that matter, but it didn’t [matter in the end]. In the case of WWE, there’s 1000 cameras who captured every second of it. They got to capture the sweetest second of it and that’s when Gunther went over the top rope.”

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• Cody Rhodes Opens Up About Mental Health Struggles Before WWE Departure
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• LA Knight on Sharing the Ring With Undertaker, Being Managed by Paul Bearer
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If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Cody Rhodes has come a long way in the last few years and established himself as one of the top stars of the current generation. After winning the Royal Rumble, he is only one step away from realizing his life’s dream. His journey, however, wasn’t always as glorious. The American Nightmare had to go through some dark times before he was able to get on the path to redemption.

The former AEW star opened up about his journey and his mental health struggles during an appearance on After The Bell. Rhodes was asked about a conversation he had with his wife Brandi Rhodes before leaving WWE. The WWE star recalled how he was tired of not being considered a top guy:

“I’m sitting in a rental car with Brandi. It’s freezing because we were in Scranton, it’s freezing, freezing. We were outside the bus. [The] crew bus was right in front of us. It had The Rock and had the John Cena photo on it from the second Mania. So we’ve already seen this bus for over a year now but this story was encompassing really two years. This story, the John vs Rock saga and it was wonderful. But when you’re on the card, not close to that [it’s discouraging].

At my level, I had been chipping away a little bit as brass rings here and there, brass rings here and there but I hadn’t broken through by any means. I just got so tired of seeing their dang faces. I love John. He was my role model in the business. He’s a rental car guy with me until he got a bus but as much as I did, I just was getting so upset. I told her ‘I can’t keep looking at the same guys. I can’t.’ I got out the car and I threw a yoo hoo glass bottle up against beautiful Dwayne Johnson’s face.”

‘That Was Rough’: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes detailed his mental state at the time saying that he was ‘dead’ inside. He mentioned how being Stardust in front of Brandi was especially hard and he didn’t want to lower himself in front of her. The conversation ultimately led to him making the decision to leave the promotion:

“Getting it out for me, ultimately would lead to me leaving. It was the only way I could get it out. It was pinned up. It was pinned up for too long. Today you’ve got a medical team at WWE that includes mental health services. I’m not saying that I was deep down the rabbit hole, but it’s still so helpful to talk to somebody. I only had other wrestlers to talk to. Myself to talk to. You never want to lower yourself in front of your beloved. In front of your wife.

One of the hardest things for me was being Stardust in front of Brandi. That was rough. When Brandi married Cody Rhodes, he was the Intercontinental Champion. He was wrestling Randy Orton every night and we were absolutely tearing the joint down. Next thing you know, I’m running around in a space outfit and trying to make the best of it but I was very dead inside. Also to this day, I don’t know why I was drinking a yoo hoo.”

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If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

WWE is doing serious business on the road to WrestleMania 39, but who are the biggest names when it comes to merchandise?

These days, merchandise sellers may not be WWE’s primary source of income (thanks to the promotion’s lucrative TV deals and Saudi contract) but still earn WWE a hefty sum.

More important merchandise sellers are a quantitative way for WWE to see who is the most popular among the fans.

Top Merchandise Sellers

With WrestleMania 39 drawing near, every WWE Superstar will hope to get the attention of the promotion’s higher-ups by moving a serious amount of merchandise.

On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer named the stars who are shining above the rest of the roster in terms of merch.

“A lot of the big characters are very over when it comes to selling merchandise right now. Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, I’m sure Sami Zayn. They’re hot. That’s the deal. Things look good for them going into WrestleMania season.”

Dave Meltzer.

WrestleMania 39

We already know plans for two of WWE’s top merch sellers for WrestleMania, as Cody Rhodes will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal title this April.

As for Sami Zayn, it has been rumored that he and Kevin Owens will challenge Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos at WrestleMania 39.

It’s worth bearing in mind that these rumors began before Jey’s exit from the Bloodline at last weekend’s Royal Rumble event.

As for Bray Wyatt, all signs are pointing to an eventual clash with Uncle Howdy (played by his brother Bo Dallas) at WrestleMania.

Cody Rhodes says he wants to bring back the iconic Winged Eagle WWE Championship belt if he can defeat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania Goes Hollywood.

The American Nightmare won the Royal Rumble this past weekend to punch his ticket to the main event of WWE’s biggest show of the year. Earlier this week, he posted a photo of the winged eagle on Instagram, which set off a frenzy of excitement on social media.

During a Wednesday appearance on WWE’s The Bump digital series, Rhodes spoke about why the Winged Eagle is so important to him.

“Through my youth, the WWE I was watching, was really synonymous with the Winged Eagle. I think there’s a lot of people who love the Winged Eagle design, some people like the Big Eagle, but the Winged Eagle was the one for me. Today’s design with the giant W is also incredibly special because it’s this walking billboard for the promotion.

If anybody can get the Winged Eagle brought back, it’s Cody Rhodes. He was the man responsible for reviving the since-retired Intercontinental championship belt design held by legends including Bret Hart, Mr. Perfect and The Mountie.

“It was just a pipe dream. I posted that, I don’t want people to think I’m calling a shot, I don’t want people to think I’m going into business for myself. The reality is, I was able to change the Intercontinental Championship once before, which seemed before.

So, if I’m able to get to the finish line, the biggest WrestleMania of all time, SoFi, in Hollywood, if I’m able to get to the finish line and get my hands on these things that like I said, have eluded my family up until now, maybe it’s just a pipe dream, a glimmer, but it would be fun to just say lets just boil ‘em down and bring back the winged eagle.”

Winged Eagle Dreams

Rhodes knows his comments are going to get a lot of people buzzing. He made sure to clarify that he’s just sharing how he feels about this particular subject. However, that’s how he got WWE to bring back the classic IC title, so there is some cause for optimism.

“Listen, this is me just talking. I feel like I’m going to leave and get a bazillion texts like, ‘No, no!” All the titles, it’s the equity within them that makes them special. But just from a design standpoint, I have a lot of love and reverence for that one. It’s just a little pipe dream.

I had the same pipe dream for the Intercontinental title and I was lucky enough to make that come to fruition. So, follow along, because this is where the fun begins.”

Watch Cody Rhodes’ comments about wanting to bring back the Winged Eagle WWE Championship belt on The Bump:

Cody Rhodes is back in WWE and on the road to WrestleMania 39, and fans will soon get to play as the American Nightmare.

Rhodes made an emphatic return at last weekend’s Royal Rumble Premium Live Event, entering the men’s match at #30 and eliminating five Superstars.

Cody tossed out WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER to win the match after the Austrian broke the record for the longest time in a 30-Man Rumble match.

In the Game

Cody Rhodes’ return to WWE has been cemented with the American Nightmare’s inclusion into WWE 2K23.

On Twitter, fans caught their first glimpse of Rhodes’ entrance in the upcoming video game.

Rhodes is known as an avid video game fan, and early into his career, would include the Tri-Force from the Legend of Zelda on his ring attire.

While some had hoped that Rhodes would be included in WWE 2K22, possibly as DLC, it was said that there wasn’t enough time to include the former AEW TNT Champion.

WWE 2K23

This will (if you include WWE 2K Battleground) be the tenth installment into the WWE 2K franchise, which began with WWE 2K14.

WWE 2K23 will focus on the incredible career of John Cena, with a Showcase mode dedicated to some of the most important matches in John’s 20-year career.

The upcoming game will also see the video game debut of the WarGames match, with 3v3 and 4v4 matches available to play inside the double-cage structure.

WWE 2K23 will be released publicly on March 14, 2023 and you can pre-order the game by clicking here.

Cody Rhodes has nothing but praise for WWE’s Nick Khan and Bruce Prichard.

As noted, Rhodes won this year’s 2023 Royal Rumble match, punching his ticket to WrestleMania this April. Rhodes made his return in the match after missing several months due to a torn pectoral muscle.

While he was away, Rhodes admitted in a post-Rumble interview with Ariel Helwani that he did, indeed, have doubts before making his return. However, those were dispelled thanks to support from the likes of Nick Khan and Bruce Prichard.

“I was embarrassed, I really was. I was on top of my game. All the measurables of, ‘this is working, we’re selling this, people are tuning in.’ I’m doing it. Then I got hurt bench pressing at my gym. Probably a lot of wrestling was involved in that, but I didn’t know. I was just embarrassed. I’m really sorry. I am.

“I didn’t want to leave. I had almost a 30-minute match and then had to go get surgery. I was embarrassed. That was one time where I thought, ‘I’m worried now. Maybe I don’t have it.’ Everyone has doubts, even the most confident people. Maybe I didn’t have it. I’ll tell you two people that really kept me in check, Nick Khan and Bruce Prichard. I don’t know why they have reputations.

“They’ve been nothing but angels to me. Nick and Bruce don’t see Dusty (Rhodes) when they see me, they see me. That’s big. That’s big with me. They kept me on and never told me, ‘You’re going to do this, this is going to happen.’ Just, ‘get better, get well, we need you back, we’re going to go for it,’ but we never talked about what it was. To be able to come back and punch this ticket, Thank God, just have to stay healthy.” 

Now after winning the Rumble, Rhodes will likely go on to headline WrestleMania opposite Roman Reigns for one of his two World Titles. Rhodes has been adamant that his biggest goal upon his WWE return is to win the World Title for the first time in his career.

It will be interesting to see if he can make it happen this year at “The Show Of Shows.”

Quotes via NoDQ.com

Cody Rhodes’ road to the main event of WWE WrestleMania 39 will see him make a stop as the guest of Logan Paul’s ImPaulsive podcast.

Rhodes returned to competition at last Saturday’s event, entering the Men’s Rumble match at #30 and winning the entire thing.

The American Nightmare eliminated five Superstars (including Paul) to win, last tossing out Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER, who was the #1 entrant.

ImPaulsive Podcast

In a video from the official ImPaulsive podcast Twitter account, Cody confirmed that he and the Maverick had just wrapped up recording an episode of the show.

Rhodes also brought up the fact that he eliminated Paul, to which the young Superstar insisted “I’m not mad, because you did our show.”

Like Rhodes, Paul made his own return from injury as part of the Men’s Royal Rumble match, his first time in the 30-man contest.

Entering at #29, Paul lasted over 10 minutes in the match and was the penultimate person to be eliminated.

WrestleMania

With his win, Rhodes has earned the opportunity to challenge for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania, currently held by Roman Reigns.

Rhodes infamously vowed to become WWE Champion during his promo on the post-WrestleMania 38 Raw, and fulfill a promise to his late father, the American Dream Dusty Rhodes.

As for Paul, the YouTuber had pitched to compete with John Cena this April, and at a time, it was reported that this match was in the works.

With more recent reports of Cena Vs. U.S. Champion Austin Theory, it is now rumored that Paul will face Seth Rollins, who was eliminated by the Maverick at the Rumble.

Saturday night “The Road to WrestleMania” officially kicked off with the Royal Rumble.

The men’s Royal Rumble match saw a guest spot from Booker T along with the returns of Edge and Cody Rhodes. GUNTHER also set a record for the longest time in a Royal Rumble match.

AEW Star Supporting Cody Rhodes

Rhodes made his return from injury at the 30th entrant in the rumble match. He was able to defeat GUNTHER to earn a match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.

Last night, AEW star Ricky Starks tweeted that “#30 is a great number. LFG”

On Sunday evening, a photo surfaced on Starks at the Royal Rumble with Rhodes. The two wrestlers are good friends. Settle down, IWC.

In response to the photo and the Twitter jokes, Starks commented, “Damn, they brought back GTV.”

On last Wednesday’s Dynamite, Starks and Action Andretti faced “Le Sex Gods” Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara.

WWE superstar Cody Rhodes wants fans to know he is sorry for his injury from last year.

Rhodes shocked wrestling fans when he wrestled injured against Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell on June 5, 2022. He hurt himself while lifting weights, resulting in a torn pectoral muscle. Despite the injury, Rhodes competed in a Hell in a Cell match and defeated Rollins.

While fans have praised Rhodes’s effort in the match, he wants his supporters to know he is sorry for the injury. In the post-royal rumble press conference on Jan. 28, Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp asked Rhodes about the injury, and the WWE superstar apologized for getting hurt.

Triple H Praises Cody Rhodes’s Return From Injury

Although Rhodes is apologetic about his pectoral injury, Chief Control Officer Triple H has praised Rhodes for his return and how he dealt with the injury. After Rhodes, the press conference, Triple H credited the WWE superstar’s dedication.

“…Going through what he did for all of us, for this industry, for himself, I know what’s the like. I’ve been in that spot. Unfortunately, a few different times, and I can admire what goes in with that, and for him to turn that around and come back tonight and do what he did is amazing in it of itself,” said Triple H. He also added that Rhodes is a special talent and human being.

Rhodes won the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble match on Jan. 28. He will challenge Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.

The American Nightmare is one step closer to fulfilling his promise to his father the American Dream.

Entering the Men’s Royal Rumble match at the coveted #30 spot, Cody Rhodes eliminated 5 Superstars to win the match, earning a Championship opportunity at WrestleMania 39.

Rhodes’ final elimination saw him throw out GUNTHER, who broke the record for the longest time in a traditional Royal Rumble match.

Biggest Night of My Career

For Cody Rhodes, the road to this victory has been far from easy.

Cody was not with WWE this time last year, and plans for his return were severely delayed by his torn pectoral muscle injury last June.

Throughout his recovery, Rhodes has been on the receiving end of well-wishes from fans and those within the industry.

Speaking after the match to Ryan Satin, Rhodes thanked the fans for their support

“Thank you for everything. I can’t thank you enough [from the] bottom of my heart. The biggest night of my career so thank you very much.”

Cody Rhodes.

WrestleMania Moment

With this victory, Rhodes now has a World Championship match assured for WrestleMania, something that alluded the American Nightmare during his first run with WWE.

In a separate interview with Cathy Kelley, an emotional Rhodes made it clear he’s looking forward to walking into his first WrestleMania main event.

“I don’t have a, sorry I’m very emotional. I don’t have a frame of reference. I’ve never punched a ticket to WrestleMania.

“I don’t have any words other than, I’ve got to finish it, right? There’s no one better in the world than Roman Reigns. I can’t say I’m better, but I have to beat him to say I’m better.”

Unless Reigns drops the title before April, the Tribal Chief will face the American Nightmare at WrestleMania 39.

The Intercontinental Champion, Gunther, has set a new record in the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble match.

Gunther entered as number one, going up against Sheamus at the start of the Royal Rumble match. He outlasted 28 other opponents in the Royal Rumble before getting eliminated by a returning Cody Rhodes. While he didn’t win, he had a great showing and broke a new record.

The intercontinental champ has set the record for the most time spent in a Royal Rumble match. He lasted one hour, eleven minutes, and 25 seconds. The previous record holder was Rey Mysterio from the 2006 Royal Rumble match, with one hour, two minutes, and 12 seconds.

What’s Next For Gunther?

Although Gunther lost the Royal Rumble match, he had exciting encounters with several wrestlers. He had a standoff with Brock Lesnar, an opponent he has not faced. However, it seems WWE may have teased another match between Lesnar and Bobby Lashley.

In the match, Gunther eliminated both Sheamus and Drew McIntyre at the same time. Sheamus and Gunther have unfinished business, but McIntyre has yet to go against Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship. McIntyre seems to be taking a step back from the universal title picture, so WWE could have him work with Gunther.

Regardless, WWE seems to be investing in Gunther to make him a threat to the company. While he didn’t win, it’s possible the company could have big plans for the Intercontinental Champion this year.

The winner of this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble match is Cody Rhodes. He outlasted the likes of Logan Paul, GUNTHER, and Seth Rollins in the Final Four at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event. 

GUNTHER and Sheamus started off the match. The Miz was out next followed by Kofi Kingston, and Johnny Gargano. Sheamus eliminated Miz with the Brogue Kick before Xavier Woods made his entry. Karrion Kross was out at #7. Chad Gable was #8 followed by Drew McIntyre, who eliminated Kross. Santos Escobar was next out then Angelo Dawkins.

Brock Lesnar was the #12 entrant where he eliminated Dawkins, Gable, and Escobar. Bobby Lashley was the #13 entrant.  Lashley eliminated Brock with a clothesline. Lesnar hit an F5 to Baron Corbin before he left ringside. Seth Rollins was #15 then Otis. Rey Mysterio was #17, but he didn’t come out.  Rollins eliminated Lashley.  Dominik Mysterio walked out with Rey’s mask.  Elias came out then was eliminated and Finn Balor entered the bout where he eliminated Gargano. Booker T came out at #21 before he was eliminated by GUNTHER.  Damian Priest was out at #22 then Montez Ford. Edge came out at #24 where he eliminated Balor and Priest before Balor eliminated Edge, who was trying to toss out Mysterio. Austin Theory was #25.  Bet Phoenix returned to attack Rhea Ripley.

Omos was #26 followed by Braun Strowman, who eliminated Omos. Ricochet was #28. McIntyre and Sheamus was eliminated by GUNTHER. Logan Paul came out at #29 and Cody Rhodes was the final entrant. Paul and Ricochet did a spring board double clothesline spot from one side of the ring to the other. Theory eliminated Ricochet. Rollins hit the stomp to Theory before Rhodes clotheslined Austin to the floor.  Paul eliminated Rollins the Rhodes tossed out Paul. GUNTHER worked over the pec of Rhodes before Rhodes eliminated him. 

Rhodes has earned the right to be in one of the main events of WrestleMania 39 and will have his choice to go after one of the top titles in the company, as a result of beating out 29 other stars.

Royal Rumble List of Entrants

Pat McAfee returned to the announce table before the match. Here’s a list of the entry of superstars who competed in this fan-favorite match:

1. GUNTHER
2. Sheamus
3. The Miz
4. Kofi Kingston
5. Johnny Gargano
6. Xavier Woods
7. Karrion Kross
8. Chad Gable
9. Drew McIntyre
10.  Santos Escobar
11.  Angelo Dawkins
12.  Brock Lesnar
13.  Bobby Lashley
14.  Baron Corbin
15.  Seth Rollins
16.  Otis
17.  Rey Mysterio
18. Dominik Mysterio
19. Elias
20. Finn Balor
21. Booker T
22. Damian Priest
23. Montez Ford
24. Edge
25. Austin Theory
26. Omos
27. Braun Strowman
28. Ricochet
29. Logan Paul
30. Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes will step back inside of the squared circle to wrestle again for the first time in several months on Saturday night by competing in the 30-Man Royal Rumble match. 

Rhodes has been sidelined since June and wants to return in the best shape possible, especially heading into WrestleMania season. 

Rhodes last worked a match when he beat Seth Rollins in Hell in a Cell due to a torn pectoral muscle he suffered heading into the match. Rhodes underwent surgery for his injury.

WWE has been hyping his return through several video packages and confirmed his entry in the Rumble match ahead of the show. 

Great Shape

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that “Rhodes went through what was described as a boxing training camp to get into shape for the show and has dropped from 17.7 percent bodyfat under nine percent.”

Just because Rhodes is training like a boxer doesn’t mean that he’s training to be in the match for a long period of time, but rather would indicate that Rhodes is preparing his body to go hard for an extended period of time now that he’s working a tougher schedule in WWE with more dates compared to what had been used to in recent years.

Cody Rhodes will compete in this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble match, but the timing of his announcement has raised some eyebrows.

Rhodes has not competed since WWE Hell in a Cell last June, as he tore his pectoral muscle mere hours before the show began.

The American Nightmare fought through the pain to defeat Seth Rollins inside Hell in a Cell later that night.

Announcement

During this week’s Raw, WWE played their latest vignette documenting Rhodes’ return to WWE and his recovery process.

It was also confirmed that Rhodes will be one of the 30 men to compete in the upcoming Men’s Royal Rumble match.

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it is reported that Cody was not 100% medically cleared by WWE when his entry into the Rumble match was announced.

WWE was confident that Rhodes would be cleared, with the Observer saying that the process of his medical clearing being confirmed was just a “formality.”

This year will mark Rhodes’ ninth Rumble match and his first since 2016 when he competed as Stardust.

Favorite?

With his impressive recovery and his WWE booking since WrestleMania 38, many consider Rhodes a favorite to win the Men’s Rumble match.

The odds of Rhodes winning have increased given reports that The Rock is not expected to compete at this year’s WrestleMania and ergo, the Royal Rumble.

Sami Zayn is being considered a dark horse favorite by some to set up his inevitable split from the Bloodline.

Cody Rhodes will return to the ring at the WWE Royal Rumble event. WWE confirmed the news on Monday’s Raw, where they aired a video package showing Cody’s rehab since suffering a torn pec several months ago. 

In the video, Rhodes stated that he plans to become a World Champion in WWE. The first step in that direction is by winning the men’s Royal Rumble match. 

WWE has been airing these types of videos since last month. Many people were surprised to see the company make the announcement instead of saving his return as a surprise. 

The Reason

WrestleVotes reported today that WWE knew everyone was expecting to see him return at the event, and they’re more than pleased with other surprises they have so they decided to announce it.

“Asked a source the reasoning behind Cody’s Rumble return being announced as opposed to a surprise…Source said it’s twofold, one being that nearly everyone expected it to happen already & two, source states they are “more than pleased” w/ the other surprises that are lined up.”

GUNTHER, Austin Theory, Kofi Kingston, Ricochet, Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Baron Corbin, Santos Escobar, and Rey Mysterio are the other names confirmed for the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match. 

Cody Rhodes will be making his return to the ring at the WWE Royal Rumble event. 

WWE confirmed the news on Monday’s Raw where they aired a video package that showed the rehab that Cody has been doing since suffering a torn pec several months ago. It also included clips of him in the hospital and rehab at the Nightmare Factory near his home in Atlanta. 

Cody’s wife, Brandi Rhodes, was also interviewed. He vowed to deliver on his promise of becoming a World Champion in WWE. The first step in that direction is by winning the men’s Royal Rumble match. 

Rhodes is Back

WWE pushed Rhodes as a top star from the moment he returned to the company during WrestleMania 38, as his feud with Seth Rollins further elevated him and established Rhodes as a big star.

However, he was sidelined following his Hell In A Cell match with Rollins due to a torn pectoral muscle that he suffered heading into the match. Rhodes underwent surgery for his injury and was sidelined for most of 2022. 

Cody Rhodes is nearing his return to WWE.

Rhodes made a special return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 last April after making the hard decision not to re-sign with AEW, a company he helped launch in 2019, to make a return to WWE, where he was booked as the surprise opponent of Rollins. 

“The American Nightmare” has been out of action since last summer due to a torn pectoral injury that required him to undergo surgery and has forced him to sit on the sidelines for the last several months. 

Rhodes last wrestled Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell back in July, a bout he won in a highly praised performance. Because he suffered the injury before the match and couldn’t further damage the muscle, he decided to put forth a gutsy performance by going through with the bout. 

Back in The Ring

However, a positive update has been released. Fightful Select reports Rhodes has been at the WWE Performance Center preparing for his return. 

The report states that the former three-time AEW TNT Champion handpicked NXT stars Joe Gacy and Carmelo Hayes to help get him back into ring shape. 

The report also noted that Rhodes is still heavily factored into WWE’s plans for WrestleMania 39. Although not confirmed, many people believe Rhodes may return at the Royal Rumble. 

When Cody Rhodes does return to WWE, it’s “absolutely not” going to be a surprise.

As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW, WWE has begin hyping up Rhodes return with a multi-part video series. Dave Meltzer addressed this on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer noted that, many speculated that Rhodes would return as a surprise entrant in this year’s Royal Rumble match.

However, Meltzer says that’s “absolutely not” going to be. Instead, WWE is focusing on their multi-part series to hype up his return. He ended by saying, evidently, Rhodes will be slotted into a high spot on the WrestleMania 39 card.

Rhodes returned to WWE in April of last year as the surprise opponent for Seth Rollins at “The Show Of Shows.” After emerging victorious in, arguably, the match of the weekend, Rhodes went on to continue an excellent feud with Rollins over the next several weeks.

This culminated into a Hell In A Cell match at the similarly named Premium Event later in the year. However, it would prove to be Rhodes’ final match before an injury layoff, as he entered the bout with a torn pectoral muscle that would need surgical repair and rehabilitation.

Now, Rhodes is expected to be wrapping up his recovery soon, and is right around the corner from getting back into the ring – just in time for WrestleMania season. While it’s expected he’ll have a high profile match at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, it remains to be seen who his opponent will be.