Tag: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes Delivers A Fantastic Promo On RAW, Wants To Win World Title For His Dad

“The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes makes his return to Monday Night Raw to a big reception. A loud “Cody” chant picks up. Rhodes is wearing a blue suit. Rhodes goes to speak, but then puts the microphone down to listen to the crowd. They chant, “Welcome back!” Rhodes smiles and looks around before getting pumped up. Another “Cody” chant picks up, and he plays to the crowd. Rhodes goes to speak, but the crowd keeps going.

Rhodes says, “So… what do you guys want to talk about?” It has been 47 days since the abrupt news that he was a free agent. Rhodes chose to remain silent. He heard stories and defamatory stories. Everyone thinks that the decision to return to WWE was difficult. It was not. It was simple really. The star that left them in the dust, the man standing here now having signed a multi-year agreement with World Wrestling Entertainment. A “You deserve it” chant picks up. If there was a glimmer of doubt or a shred of trepidation, when he rose up at WrestleMania and came back to beat one of the best wrestlers in the world in Seth Rollins, that doubt was irradiated. Rhodes read a quote that states, “A man often finds his destiny on the path he takes to avoid it.”

Rhodes has a picture of his late father Dusty Rhodes shown from a WWWF Title match at Madison Square Garden in 1977. Rhodes says there is his father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. It’s so simple to say that’s his father. In reality, he’s a legend, the son of a plumber, and the common man. To him, he was his hero. Rhodes is getting very emotional. A “Dusty” chant picks up. This photo was taken in 1977 at Madison Square Garden. His father was holding the championship belt that Hulk Hogan would get his hands on (Hogan’s name gets boos), The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H as well. Rhodes says this very photo was on the mantle in his parent’s bedroom until his father’s last day. As he got hip to the industry, he worked up a little courage to ask him poorly if he was a champion like Hulk Hogan. His father told him with the same eyes his daughter has that he had won the match by count-out and did not take home the title due to the champion’s advantage. Rhodes was 8-years-old, he knew he needed to do something. Rhodes was going to win that championship belt and bestow it into the hands of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and no one can take it from him.

Unfortunately, that dream died in front of him. That opportunity passed… or did it? He cannot physically put that title into his father’s hands, but he can put it around the waist of The American Nightmare. The crowd loudly cheers that. A “You can do it” chant picks up. Rhodes smiles. With that in mind, the silence is broken. His intentions are clear. Rhodes stands before the crowd finally ready. Rhodes is going to do it. He’s going to give the distinction that his family has been denied. He’s going to do it for the people, for himself, and for his family… and he is going to do it for “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.

Seth “Freakin” Rollins dances out to the stage in a wild pink suit. Rollins gets in the ring and struts around Rhodes while the crowd sings his theme song. Rollins stops in front of him and looks into Rhodes’ eyes. Rhodes tosses his microphone away. Rollins smirks. Rhodes extends his right hand, and Rollins looks down at it. A “YES” chant picks up. Rollins cackles and shakes Rhodes’ hand. Rollins backs up and leaves the ring, and Rhodes looks a little taken aback.

Source: WrestleView

Cody Rhodes Says He Told Vince McMahon He Never Wants To See Or Hear About Stardust Ever Again

WWE superstar Cody Rhodes joined BT Sport’s Ariel Helwani to talk about his return to the company at WrestleMania 38 to challenge Seth Rollins. It was reported directly after his departure from AEW that The American Nightmare had met with Vince McMahon to strike a deal with the company. Cody spoke with Ariel about his meeting with Vince and the WWE and revealed the one request he did make about returning to the company.

“There wasn’t any true guarantees, there was a request,” Rhodes said. “I said I never want to ever see Stardust ever again and I never want to see, hear it or talk about it and it was a handshake and that was all I needed. Then the first thing I did in the match last night was a random Stardust reference, I thought what’re you doing? You’re going back on your own strange request, other than that it was complex to get this all together and maybe one of wrestling’s biggest contracts, which I’m so flattered about. I have a child so yeah.

“But it was more a matter of, I don’t not trust people right, it’s not that I don’t trust this person’s word or this person’s words, but at this point in my career, I do trust myself, fully, implicitly I trust myself. So I know what I can do and given the platform to do it, I’m able to move on, I’m able to get over, I’m able to get what I want and that was presented to me on a silver platter last night. Nothing changed, nothing, Kingdom played, wrestling is more than one royal family and this is a world where wrestling term isn’t said that often. So to hear that was a big give from them and to be me. There’s nothing silly about the entertainment industry to me because this is my life’s work, sports entertainment, pro wrestling. I think I’m the best there is and how I define it as a wrestler, because there’s all these terms, to me what a pro wrestler is is your ability to capture people’s imagination from week to week.

“Are they talking about it, good, bad or ugly? That’s what I’ve been able to bring to the table everywhere I’ve gone and to be able to carry it without saying a word for 40 something days and them understand when I walked out felt like yup, I am the best. But, Roman and Brock are wrestling for the best, what matters the most and a title that was never on a Rhodes. Not saying anymore than that but my intentions are probably clear as to what I like and it’s another thing if it’s unattained but I don’t want it to go unsaid.”

Ariel Helwani also interviewed MJF recently, where the AEW superstar spoke about his upcoming free agency in 2026 where he’ll ponder between WWE and AEW. As the first big name to leave AEW for WWE, Cody Rhodes spoke about what other talent he sees following in his footsteps and making the same jump. The former TNT Champion spoke about the advice he would give other talent looking to make the same move he did and talked about how easy WWE made it for him to jump ship.

“I know there’s so many things printed about me and such but I would only give somebody honest advice,” Rhodes said. “That might be right for somebody and this was right for me. I think I know who those people will be [who come to WWE from AEW] because there’s certain people who fit that superstar mode. I think I know who those types might be and when they ask I’m just going to give them the best advice I possibly can. I can say that the schedule here, at least the schedule I was on the first time, is not for the non-committed. You can’t be one foot in, it is a full time commitment. You are not getting paid 1 day a week to work, it’s not knocking anybody who is. That might be the biggest shock and change. The structure here is a positive, there’s a wonderful structure, it’s a little less punk rock. Punk rock is great but then you want to play something else and that’s really what I experienced.

“When they start coming and talking, I’m sure people will make the transition, I’m sure you can probably guess some of the people that will come over and undoubtedly, not unlike Daniel Bryan and Adam Cole, people will make that move [to AEW]. It is a healthy thing, it doesn’t seem healthy when you watch the show because all you’re doing is talking trash about each other which I really hope that nobody here does because it’s lazy and you’re discrediting what got me. You’re discrediting me so you’re incorrect in a sense that it doesn’t matter. I’ll always give the best advice because this schedule is not for everybody, WWE and Nick Khan specifically made it so easy. There’s a bus, your family, your wife, your daughter. Just a red carpet and I know with that red carpet comes it’s time to get to work but I’m curious you know, how I’ll do it but I’ll never do it in terms of leveraging. I can only give honest advice because everyone’s path is different.”

Source: Wrestling Inc. – credit BT Sport with Ariel Helwani 

Cody Rhodes Talks His “Complex” WWE Contract, WWE Giving Him A Bus

Cody Rhodes has revealed that his multi-year WWE contract is “the most complex contract ever drawn out in the history of our game.”

While confirming that he was back full-time on the road, Rhodes revealed WWE “were wonderful enough” to get him a bus so he can travel with his family.

“I’m all in [with WWE],” Rhodes told The Ringer. “It may be the most complex document ever drawn out in the history of our game. This is a full multi-year commitment, not a part-time deal. I’m back doing what I used to, every day on the road. They were wonderful enough to get me a bus, so my family could be with me. I got everyone here with me tonight [for WrestleMania Saturday]. They bet on me, so I’m going to bet on WWE. I’m really looking forward to it.”

When asked to elaborate on the complex document, Rhodes said: “Like The Undertaker said a couple of times in his [Hall of Fame] speech last night, perception is reality often in this industry. And the perception of is all over the place. ‘Oh, he’s an egomaniac, he asked for all this money.’ It’s kind of fun to hear it, but in reality, I grew up here. I didn’t know what a contract was, I think I was 19 when I was in OVW. Now it’s a different story; it’s no longer, ‘this has to be a certain way.’

“It’s more a case of me being one of the founding fathers of AEW, and I wanted to ensure that I left with the utmost respect. Nobody here is lazing enough to make AEW jokes or bingo hall references, or any of that, because I have nothing against them. It was time for me to move on.”

Cody Rhodes then implied that fighting for the AEW TNT Title no longer appealed to him.

“I wrestled everybody I wanted to in AEW,” Rhodes admitted. “I didn’t want to be a 15-time TNT Champion and hold the belt hostage, I wanted to move on to a different piece of leather. I don’t know why the contract is so complicated. My agent doesn’t want me to disclose much, but yes it’s a pretty long contract.”

https://twitter.com/ringerwrestling/status/1510458802172313601

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Cody Rhodes Returns To WWE At WrestleMania 38, Details on His Contract

After weeks of rumors and speculation, Cody Rhodes has made his return to WWE.

Last night’s WrestleMania 38 Night One event saw Rhodes make his return as the opponent for Seth Rollins, hand-picked by WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon as the storyline goes. Rhodes defeated Rollins in tonight’s return match.

Rhodes had a special entrance as he was raised from under the stage. He was introduced as “The American Nightmare” and received pyro and a huge pop on his way to the ring. The back & forth match ended with two straight CrossRhodes, the signature right hands and Bionic Elbow of the late WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, and then one more CrossRhodes for the pin to win. The announcers did acknowledge how Cody has been away from WWE, and how he’s wrestled around the world, but there was no mention of AEW.

This was Cody’s first WWE match since May 16, 2016, when he lost to Zack Ryder at a WWE Superstars taping, while working as Stardust. Rhodes helped launch AEW, as a talent and Executive Vice President, but left the company back in February after his contract expired and he was unable to agree on a new deal with AEW President Tony Khan.

Rhodes is reportedly scheduled to be a regular member of the RAW roster moving forward. It’s been reported that he signed his new WWE contract around three weeks ago.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1510437849321062406

Rhodes’ team issued a press release after his WrestleMania return and confirmed that he is signed to a new multi-year deal with WWE. Cody’s team consists of the Hyperion Talent Agency, the Spanos Law firm, and the Vision PR firm.

The press release also revealed that Rhodes is serving as the Executive Producer to A&E’s “Biography: WWE Legends” documentary on his father, WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes. The doc was mentioned in the earlier Variety interview, but the release from Rhodes’ team has confirmed that he will be the Executive Producer.

The release also included the following blurb on Rhodes’ return and career. It’s interesting to note that there is no direct mention of AEW, but they do acknowledge that he is a three-time TNT Champion. The return press release was not issued by WWE, but it’s possible they had a chance to approve it before it went out. Rhodes’ team issued the following:

The most sought-after free agent in professional wrestling, “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, has landed back at WWE, the company where he began his career. Saturday night, in front of a massive crowd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Rhodes returned in a main event match with multi-time former WWE Champion Seth Rollins. Rhodes has inked a multi-year deal with the company.

Rhodes began his wrestling career with WWE developmental territory OVW and went on to compete with WWE for a decade before his departure in 2016. Over the past six years, Rhodes has wrestled all over the world including in Japan, England, Mexico, and Canada. In 2018, Rhodes was named Wrestler of the Year by Sports Illustrated. During his first run with WWE, Rhodes became a two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion and won six tag team championships (three World Tag Team Championships and three WWE Tag Team Championships). During his time away from WWE, Rhodes won many top championships including the Ring of Honor World Champion, IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion, and most recently the TNT Championship on three separate occasions. His father, the legendary “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, is a WWE Hall of Famer and both Cody and Dusty won NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship titles making them the first father/son combination to win the title.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Cody Rhodes May Back Out Of WrestleMania 38 Plans [Report]

Many fans expect Cody Rhodes to return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 this weekend. But a new report suggests that it’s not a done deal.

Many wrestling fans are anticipating Cody Rhodes’ return to WWE during WrestleMania 38 this weekend.

As previously noted, Rhodes reportedly signed a contract with WWE following his departure from AEW. On this week’s episode of WWE Raw, chairman Vince McMahon promised Seth Rollins a match at WrestleMania 38. However, The Architect won’t know who his opponent is until the day of the show.

So it’s easy to speculate that The American Nightmare will show up and reveal himself as Rollins’ WrestleMania opponent. But according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there’s a chance that the second-generation wrestler doesn’t actually compete at “The Show of Shows” this weekend.

During a conversation with Dennis Salcedo on her YouTube channel (h/t WrestlingNews.co), Meltzer revealed that there are people close to Cody who believe that he could end up backing out of WrestleMania 38.

“Depending on who it is, it better be somebody good because…everyone expects it and they kind of have to deliver it I suppose,” Meltzer explained. “If it’s not him, it’s his choosing, it’s not theirs. They believe it’s him. They believe that’s the guy. If for whatever reason he backs out because he’s going to back out, I don’t expect that to happen, but I know people close to him who do…We’ll have to see how it plays out.”

Needless to say, it would be a major letdown for countless WWE fans if Cody didn’t show up at WrestleMania 38 weekend. Most of the company’s top main event stars are already on the two-day WrestleMania card, and it’s hard to think of more intriguing potential options than Rhodes at this point.

Brandi and Cody Rhodes parted ways with AEW last month following the expirations of their contracts. Brandi worked as AEW’s Chief Brand Officer, and aside from wrestling, Cody was one of the company’s Executive Vice Presidents. It’s worth noting that The American Nightmare was never under a non-compete clause after leaving AEW, so he was free to sign with another promotion right away.

Day one of WrestleMania 38 is now just one days away. If Cody doesn’t turn out to be Rollins’ WrestleMania opponent, then we should get more clarity on his WWE status and situation. There’s always the possibility that he doesn’t show up until the post-WrestleMania edition of Monday Night Raw, too.

Source: TheSportster

Backstage News On How WWE May Present Cody Rhodes

Two high-profile people within WWE want Cody Rhodes to be presented in the exact same manner to his AEW character when he debuts with the company.

According to WrestleVotes, these two individuals have been adamant to Vince McMahon that this should happen, including his entire presentation.

This ranges from his ring gear, theme music, and pyro. They believe that the visual impact of having the ‘American Nightmare’ crossing the line from AEW to WWE is significant to this deal. Of course, while it has been reported that Cody Rhodes is returning to WWE, nothing has been made official yet.

https://twitter.com/WrestleVotes/status/1507339115674497028

Since Cody Rhodes’ AEW contract came to an end, he has not been seen inside a wrestling ring. The former three-time TNT Champion is believed to be facing Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38 this year.

Rollins is currently without an opponent at WrestleMania and this turned into a major storyline on Raw over the past few weeks. Rollins has claimed in storyline that Raw will not start next week until he gets an opponent. It is unknown if this is when Cody will be turning up, or if his debut will be saved for WrestleMania.

During a recent episode of Talk Is Jericho, Chris Jericho seemed to confirm that Cody is heading back to WWE. During the introduction of his podcast episode, he claimed that he is now back with the company.

“I’m pulling back the curtain a little bit on the wrestling business,” Jericho said. “You’re gonna discover how I’ve been able to be Chris Jericho no matter what company I work for or where I wrestle. You’ll hear how Danhausen gets to keep his name and gimmick from promotion to promotion. How Cody got to reclaim Rhodes from WWE even though he’s back in WWE…”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Chris Jericho Confirms Cody Rhodes Has Signed With WWE

On his Talk is Jericho podcast earlier this week, Chris Jericho confirmed that Cody Rhodes is bound for WWE.

Jericho had ‘Gimmick Attorney’ Mike Dockins as a guest on the show, and they spoke in length about wrestlers’ trademark battles with WWE. While describing what Dockins does, Jericho confirmed that Rhodes will be returning to WWE TV soon.

“I’m pulling back the curtain a little bit on the wrestling business,” Jericho said. “You’re gonna discover how I’ve been able to be Chris Jericho no matter what company I work for or where I wrestle. You’ll hear how Danhausen gets to keep his name and gimmick from promotion to promotion. How Cody got to reclaim Rhodes from WWE even though he’s back in WWE…”

Cody Rhodes is rumored to wrestle Seth Rollins at the upcoming WrestleMania 38 premium live event. He is expected to be a part of the RAW brand, according to PWInsder. As per several other reports, Rhodes will also appear at the RAW after Mania on Monday, April 4.

This week’s RAW ended with a seething Seth Rollins threatening to hijack next week’s show unless he gets to be on the WrestleMania 38 card. The fans in attendance at the Allstate Arena chanted “Cody” in response, as Rollins continued to wreak havoc at ringside. Rhodes could potentially show up at the Mania go-home episode of RAW this Monday at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Cody Rhodes Hints During Seth Rollins Match On WWE RAW?

Soon after Seth Rollins lost to Kevin Owens in the main event of this week’s RAW, announcer Corey Graves would drop several Cody Rhodes hints.

Graves mentioned how Rollins’ WrestleMania hopes had been “dashed” and “his dream has become a nightmare.”

For those who missed RAW, Rollins set up a match with his friend Owens with the stipulation being that if he won, he’d get to replace Owens in the segment with WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38. Since Owens prevailed with the win, his KO Show segment with Austin will go ahead as planned.

Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins is rumored to take place at WrestleMania 38. Earlier on Monday, Dave Meltzer reported that the match is still listed internally for next month’s event.

Meltzer’s latest update came a week after he reported that Rhodes’ WWE situation was “back up in the air,” with WWE creative being asked to hold off on plans until Rhodes signs a WWE contract.

Since Monday’s RAW was held in Jacksonville, the home of AEW, there had been a lot of speculation of Cody Rhodes returning to WWE TV this week. With WrestleMania 38 less than three weeks away, Seth Rollins is still without a match at the Showcase of Immortals.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1503566745243684869
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1503566816676921352

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Report: AEW EVP Believes Cody Rhodes Has Signed With WWE

At least one AEW EVP believes free agent wrestler Cody Rhodes is bound for WWE, according to Fightful Select.

The report noted that as of last weekend, at least one AEW EVP “fully believed that Cody Rhodes was signed or was signing with WWE and would face Seth Rollins at WrestleMania.”

The news outlet added they haven’t been able to confirm Rhodes’ WWE status or potential debut date.

Last week, Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Rhodes’ WWE situation was “back up in the air,” with WWE creative being asked to hold off on plans until Rhodes signs a WWE contract. The report also noted that Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins was previously penciled in for WrestleMania 38, but that was when Rhodes was expected to sign with WWE.

According to Dave Meltzer, upper-level WWE sources “don’t know what happened with the Rhodes talks” and have halted all Rhodes-related plans. With Monday’s RAW being held in Jacksonville, there has been a lot of chatter on social media of Rhodes returning to WWE TV this week.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage Update On Cody Rhodes’ Contract Talks With WWE

WWE has reportedly been pushing to sign former AEW wrestler and EVP Cody Rhodes. Here is the latest.

The wrestling world continues to await the announcement of Cody Rhodes’ next professional wrestling chapter, but nothing appears to be imminent.

Last month, Cody and Brandi Rhodes parted ways with AEW after failing to reach agreements on new deals. Cody was an Executive Vice President in AEW, and Brandi worked as the company’s Chief Brand Officer. Both were instrumental in building up AEW as a major promotion, so their departures were massively unexpected

Many assumed that Cody would quickly strike a deal with WWE and return to the place where his pro wrestling career started. But fast forward three weeks after his AEW departure, and The American Nightmare remains a free agent.

In an update on the F4WOnline.com message board (h/t WrestlingNews.co), Dave Meltzer wrote that contract talks between Cody and AEW “hit a snag.” Meltzer reported that the 36-year-old wrestler “has multiple offers”, and that WWE would like him to make his decision “soon.”

Meltzer added that the “ball is in” Cody’s court. It should be noted that Cody isn’t under a non-compete clause of any kind, so he’s free to sign with another promotion whenever. WWE has done their part in trying to bring Rhodes aboard, and now the second-generation wrestler has to decide if he wants to sign on for a second tenure with the company.

It was previously reported that Cody was on WWE’s WrestleMania 38 internal documents, but that apparently is no longer the case. If WWE wants Cody to return before or at WrestleMania weekend on Apr. 2-3, the clock is ticking on that front.

WWE has had three weeks now to reach a deal with Cody Rhodes. Vince McMahon certainly isn’t one to go back-and-forth over a lengthy period with a specific wrestler when it comes to contract talks. WWE has made it clear how much they’d like Cody to come aboard. It’s now a simple waiting game as they await his decision.

Source: TheSportster