Tag: Cody Rhodes

John Cena, Cody Rhodes, Paul Heyman And Asuka Set For Next Week’s NXT

No fewer than four huge names on the WWE main roster will be headed to “WWE NXT” next Tuesday as the show goes head-to-head against “AEW Dynamite.” In addition to Asuka, who will be wrestling Roxanne Perez on the show, John Cena, Cody Rhodes, and Paul Heyman will all be appearing in what has to be considered the most star-studded “NXT” event of all time.

Cena will be in former “NXT” Champion Carmelo Hayes’ corner when he faces Bron Breakker, who, as it turnes out, will have Heyman in his corner. Cena is currently involved in a feud with the Bloodline and will face Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso in tag team action alongside LA Knight at the Fastlane premium live event on Saturday. As for Rhodes, he’s set to make “a major announcement,” but what exactly Cody wants to talk about has not been revealed.

“NXT” will go up against “Dynamite” on AEW President Tony Khan’s birthday, on what Khan is calling “Title Tuesday.” Only one match has been announced for the show so far, but it’s a big one: Adam Copeland, formerly known as Edge in WWE, will be making his in-ring AEW debut on the Tuesday edition of “Dynamite” against Luchasaurus. WWE’s recent strategy of infusing “NXT” broadcasts with main roster talent like Dominik Mysterio and Becky Lynch has paid off in ratings numbers that rival the ones “Dynamite” gets on Wednesdays; as a result, these announcements can safely be read as an attempt by WWE not only to counter-program “Title Tuesday” (and Copeland’s debut) but to beat “Dynamite” in the ratings for the first time since the heyday of the “Wednesday Night War.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Cody Rhodes – ‘I Was Adamant My Peacock Documentary Covered All In’

The Cody Rhodes documentary that is airing on the Peacock network features some footage of The American Nightmare’s involvement in All In. Of course, that show led to the debut of All Elite Wrestling.

Speaking to Denise Salcedo of “Instinct Culture,” Rhodes revealed that he pushed hard for All In to be featured. He said,

“I had really minimal requests. Here’s why I had minimal requests. I’ve done enough reality TV where you think, ‘Oh, you’re a producer. Please, ask for this and you’ll get it.’ Then you’ll find out they’re not interested in what you have to say. They’re gonna run their show and that’s their job. So now my expectations are really low.”

He continued, “So I have, ‘Hey, these are two things I’d like to see in there.’ They were really small. I wanted to see if they found any footage of me wrestling when I was in high school or younger. Found it. I was adamant that All In be covered. You cannot tell the story unless you cover All In, and All In is not mine, it’s someone else’s. That’s a troublesome but also beautiful thing, in the spirit of it. So for it to be covered here, I was really happy, and for WWE to allow it to be covered kind of goes along with how WWE has treated me since I’ve come back. The song says, ‘Wrestling has more than one royal family.’ It doesn’t say sports entertainment has more than one royal family. There hasn’t been a revision to me. Kevin Dunn and Vince (McMahon) and Bruce (Prichard) and Stephanie (McMahon) and Hunter [Triple H] have just tried to make me bigger, and I thank them greatly for doing that because they haven’t changed me in the process.”

Source: eWn

Cody Rhodes Teases That Brandi Could Make Her Return To WWE

Could Brandi Rhodes be making an appearance on WWE programming in due time? Never say never.

In February 2022, both Cody and Brandi parted ways with AEW but at this time, the American Nightmare is the only one to have made a return to WWE.

Speaking on the “Out of Character with Ryan Satin” podcast, Cody spoke about his wife, saying that it isn’t unusual for the pair to do things independently. He said,

“We always wanted to do everything separately. I think even in one of the last interviews she had done before I left, guy was making fun of me in the ring, and she went out there and didn’t even need me anywhere near her. She very much can defend herself and fight her own battles.”

Cody went on to say that given her support for his career both on and off-screen, Brandi is already playing a role in his WWE return.

The 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble winner remained cagey when discussing the possibility of Brandi returning to WWE, saying,

“I wouldn’t rule it out, but she absolutely loves watching what I’m doing. She’s got some stuff that she’s working on secretly, unrelated.”

Rhodes said he won’t spoil what his wife is working on, but he reminded fans to “never say never” when it comes to the wrestling business.

Brandi worked as a ring announcer for WWE in 2011 and then for a second run from 2013 to 2016 under the name Eden Stiles.

Source: eWrestlingNews

Backstage News On Scrapped WrestleMania 39 Plans For Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes may have promised to take the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from Roman Reigns during his promo exchange with Paul Heyman last night on “WWE Raw,” but at one point in time WWE had other plans for him in regard to WrestleMania 39, according to Dave Meltzer on “Wrestling Observer Radio.”

This plan would have seen a brand new title created by the company that would have been defended on NIght One of WrestleMania, while Reigns would defend his titles on Night Two. It was noted that Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, and Seth Rollins were the names discussed to walk away with the mysterious new title, with WWE hoping to have two top titles once again. 

This idea only would have happened if The Rock had been involved at WrestleMania 39. There had been a “pie-in-the-sky” idea for the WWE legend to win the Royal Rumble match earlier this month and go on to face Reigns at WrestleMania. Of course, Rhodes won the Rumble match instead, and The Rock is not scheduled to be in a WrestleMania match this year due to the Hollywood star not having enough time to get into ring shape.

Rhodes is now set to collide against Reigns at WrestleMania in the main event. However, there could be another twist yet due to the fact that the “Tribal Chief” is defending his titles against Sami Zayn at the upcoming Elimination Chamber event first. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

It’s Official – Cody Rhodes Enters The 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble Match

It’s official – Cody Rhodes will be making his in-ring return at the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.

On this week’s episode of RAW, it was announced that Rhodes, who has been out of action with a torn pectoral muscle following his match with Seth Rollins at WWE Hell in a Cell 2022, will be entering the men’s Royal Rumble match.

Rhodes joins Kofi Kingston, Ricochet, Baron Corbin, Austin Theory, Santos Escobar, Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio, and Gunther as confirmed competitors for the match so far.

Cody Rhodes Willing To Pay $1000 Fine Each Time For Banned Term

Cody Rhodes has previously indicated that one of the traits of his American Nightmare character is to go against the grain and challenge WWE’s time-honored verbiage.

On the April 11 “WWE Raw” episode, for example, Rhodes would refer to “Superstars” as “Wrestlers” and “Titles” as “Championship Belts” during a Miz TV segment, for which he was corrected on live television by The Miz.

Turns out, Rhodes is fine being charged a $1,000 fine every time he uses a banned word on WWE TV.

Rhodes made his intentions known during Mattel’s recent WWE San Diego Comic-Con 2022, where panelist Steve Ozer pointed out how “title belts” were being added to the 2-pack WWE figures before he quickly corrected himself to say “championship titles.”

This promoted Rhodes to ask the Mattel employee to continue saying whatever he wishes.

“Buddy, you can say belts,” Rhodes said. “If they fine me $1000 every time I say belts, I’m fine with it. Belts. It can be a title belt, sure, it’s a championship. But it also physically goes around your waist. It’s a belt. So, those are great belts [in the new Mattel figures].”

Earlier this year, Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer released WWE’s updated internal list of over 30 banned terms.

Wrestling

Wrestlers

Belt

Blood

Choke

Diva

Strap

Kayfabe

Mofos

Head Shot

Trauma

DQ

The Anti-Diva

Spinal Injuries

Victim

Violence/Violent

WWF

Wifebeater

Curb Stomp

Strangle

Kill

Murder

Kayfabe

House Show

Push

Being Over

Babyface

Heel

Job/Jobber

Card

Non-Title

There is also speculation that the word “attacked” was added to the list following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. This is supposedly why announcer Jimmy Smith corrected himself to say “assaulted” after using the term “attacked” while describing Seth Rollins’ backstage fight with Cody Rhodes following their match at WrestleMania Backlash in May.

Rhodes, currently sidelined with an injury, is the early odds-on favorite to make a triumphant return at next year’s Royal Rumble. During the same Comic-Con panel, Rhodes discussed the possibility of his comeback at January’s annual battle royal.

“[My doctor] told me flat out that he’s not going to give me a timeline because he’s afraid I’m going to try and jump it,” Rhodes said. “So I’m still going to try and jump it.”

Rhodes added that his recovery is “ahead of schedule” but also noted that he “couldn’t win an arm wrestling contest” right now.

“My Royal Rumble stats are top 10, they’re phenomenal,” Rhodes added. “So if I was to come back at that event, there is a chance I could actually get up in the top five and I’m all about that …. You never know! We’ll see.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Cody Rhodes Wrestled Injured At WWE HIAC, Update On Injury And Impending Surgery

Cody Rhodes could be facing a lengthy layoff from the ring following his impressive Hell In A Cell performance due to his recent injury. Fightful Select reports that The American Nightmare is set to undergo surgery this Thursday. Several notable WWE stars have suffered the same injury and missed anywhere from three months (John Cena) to a more realistic five months (Triple H & Elias).

Rumors started swirling about Rhodes’ injury status after he was removed from a WWE live event in Champaign, Illinois on June 4, just one day before the aforementioned Hell In A Cell event. Many fans were then left speculating about what had happened to Rhodes and if he would be able to compete at last night’s premium live event.

Hours ahead of Hell In A Cell, WWE confirmed Rhodes suffered a torn pectoral while training last week but also stated that Rhodes was adamant he would still compete inside the monstrous structure against Seth Rollins. WWE’s update noted that Rhodes had torn his pectoral muscle completely off the bone while preparing for the big match. While that sounded bad, fans did not truly grasp the extent of the injury until just before the match when Rhodes took off his entrance jacket and revealed massive bruising on the right side of his chest.

Rhodes went on to not only compete in a 20+ minute Hell In A Cell match against Rollins but win the match as well. Following the show, Rhodes addressed the fans in attendance letting them know it was his decision to wrestle and that he would give a further update on his injury tonight on “WWE Raw.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE’s Confusing Money In The Bank Ads Have Left Employees Just As Baffled As Fans

No one knows whether this year’s Money in the Bank winners will get title shots or WrestleMania main event spots.

Even though Hell in a Cell is next up on WWE’s Premium Live Event calendar, most people already have an eye on what’s next. That’s because Money in the Bank on July 2 will spark a run of three stradium shows in two months. SummerSlam on July 30, and then Clash at the Castle on September 3, the first stadium show in the UK for 30 years.

WWE began hype for Money in the Bank at WrestleMania Backlash, airing an ad featuring Cody Rhodes in Allegiant Stadium from which the show will air live. Harmless enough, except one line in the ad has had people talking ever since. Rhodes states the winners of this year’s Money in the Bank ladder matches will book spots in WrestleMania main events.

That’s very different from the title shots holding a contract usually guarantees. Some believed it to simply be a slip up that somehow managed to fall through a number of cracks. However, that same ad aired unedited on Raw the following night, and then again during NXT on Tuesday. There has still been no clarification as to whether Money in the Bank winners now earn something different, and apparently those within WWE are just as confused.

https://twitter.com/WrestlingNewsCo/status/1523514096892932096

According to a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, no one backstage knows what exactly is going on regarding this year’s Money in the Bank. That includes people who would usually in the know when it comes to that sort of thing. There was also no confirmation offered up by WWE, so for now, what exactly this year’s Money in the Bank winners will get remains a mystery.

It could be argued that Money in the Bank was in need of a shake up after a few of its most recent winners, and their subsequent cash-ins, haven’t felt quite as impactful. Having them hold the briefcase until WrestleMania with no threat of them cashing in before then though, that doesn’t feel like the solution. If WWE does follow through with this idea, it does also raise the question of what will next year’s Royal Rumble winners get if those main event slots have already been taken?

Source: TheSportster

UPDATE

The ad with Rhodes led to a lot of speculation, with many people assuming this was a mistake. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that many people within WWE were also under the belief that this year’s MITB stipulations would be the same as they have been in previous years.

It was said by some within WWE that the wording on the ad was a mistake that wasn’t caught when it aired at WrestleMania Backlash, but then WWE aired the same commercial on Monday and Tuesday.

One WWE source says McMahon has plans already in place for the top matches at WrestleMania 39, and that these plans do not include Money In the Bank winners in the top title matches. It’s still interesting that the commercial aired three times without an edit.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Cody Rhodes Teases The Return Of The Winged Eagle If He Becomes WWE Champion

Two nights after re-debuting in WWE, Rhodes opened the Raw After WrestleMania and declared that the leading reason he returned is to do something his father never could. Win the WWE Championship. Two weeks on from that emotional promo, Rhodes has teased something else should he manage to achieve that goal. Bringing back the winged eagle version of the championship that was retired more than two decades ago.

Rhodes posted a close-up of the iconic WWE Title on his Instagram story, renewing the belief among fans that he will bring it back should he ever become WWE Champion. The winged eagle is one of, if not the most popular design WWE’s richest prize has ever had. Active for a full decade, the title was held by icons including, but not limited to, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold, and The Undertaker.

https://twitter.com/JudahSuper/status/1516600196217683981

Rhodes actually has a history of reviving old title designs in WWE. When he became Intercontinental Champion, the former AEW EVP brought back one of the old title designs, the one with a white strap. Much like the winged eagle, that particular IC Title design is regarded as one of the greatest in WWE history. Needless to say, a lot of people would be very happy if he did the same with the winged eagle at some point in the future.

There are obviously a lot of hoops for Rhodes to jump through before he can even think about rummaging through WWE’s storage facility to find the old title. He needs to become WWE Champion, for starters, which is easier said than done. Roman Reigns is currently the unified champion and who exactly will be the first person to beat him has never been less clear. Should Rhodes beat him, he will then need to convince Vince McMahon to let him change the title design, which might be equally as difficult as winning it in the first place.

Source: TheSportster

Cody Rhodes’ Banned Word Slips On Raw Were No Accident

More than a week later, it’s still sort of hard to believe Cody Rhodes is back in WWE. This week on Raw, Rhodes wrestled his first match on the red brand since 2015. A clash with The Miz from which Rhodes emerged victorious. Prior to their clash, Rhodes and Miz opened Raw with a talk show segment during which The American Nightmare dropped a couple of supposedly banned words.

The first faux pas came when Rhodes referred to the Universal Championship as a belt. The Miz quickly cut in, informing him it’s a title as belts are for holding your pants up. A line Vince McMahon has likely said to wrestlers a thousand times as he doesn’t like WWE’s championships being referred to as belts. Speaking of wrestlers, the second slip-up came when Rhodes used that word instead of Superstars, at which point Miz corrected him again.

The American Nightmare is allowed to say belts and wrestlers.

Rhodes making these mistakes would make sense as he has been working in a company that lets you say them for the past three years. The thing is, according to Wrestling Observer Radio, Rhodes’ use of these banned words wasn’t a mistake at all. It’s all part of his gimmick in WWE. That he isn’t a WWE guy at all and he uses these words because he is a different Cody Rhodes who has returned from somewhere else.

There was another subtle nod to that during the very same segment. Rhodes went to tell The Miz that he’s full of shit, only to stop short at the curse word and look around at the fans. The word shit is thrown around a lot in AEW, but it is seldom said on WWE television. Only people like Brock Lesnar tend to be allowed to say it, probably because they don’t ask for permission first.

Rhodes’ gimmick in WWE is basically the AEW guy. It’s why he has the same look, the same music, and why he almost says curse words and utters banned terms on live TV. It all fits in with the framing of Rhodes being a completely different person to the one that left WWE six years ago without having to give credit or even make mention of the company he helped create while he was away.

Source: TheSportster