Seth Rollins has provided more details regarding Cody Rhodes' return to the WWE earlier this year.
Cody and Brandi Rhodes parted ways with AEW following the expiration of their contracts in February. Aside from wrestling, Cody served as an Executive Vice President in AEW, and Brandi was employed as the company's Chief Brand Officer. Following months of speculation, The American Nightmare wound up returning to WWE at WrestleMania 38 to face Seth Rollins.
WWE wouldn't reveal Rollins' WrestleMania opponent ahead of time, having instead decided to keep it a surprise. And as many predicted, it was Rhodes who would serve as The Architect's challenger on day one of the show. The third-generation superstar went on to defeat Rollins via pinfall.
During an appearance on "Out of Character with Ryan Satin" (h/t WrestlingInc.com), Rollins revealed when the deal to bring Rhodes back came together.
"I would say less than a month out from WrestleMania...It was finalized, I want to say three weeks before WrestleMania," Rollins said. "Even as we were starting to build the story towards that, it was not quite sure. It was like conversations being had and all this stuff that I wasn't really privy to, and I was kinda trying to poke around and be like, 'Hey, you know, is this going to happen, or do I need to start thinking about something else, because I'm really not interested in getting left off of WrestleMania.'"
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The 37-year-old Rhodes went on to defeat Rollins at two subsequent rematches. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn pectoral muscle and required surgery. Back in June, WWE announced that The American Nightmare would miss nine months of action, though Rhodes is hopeful about coming back earlier.
There is plenty of speculation among the fans that Rhodes will win the Royal Rumble, challenge and successfully defeat Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. The Tribal Chief has gotten past most of the company's top babyfaces during his two-year run as the title holder, and Rhodes' popularity certainly makes him a trong candidate to defeat Reigns. Of course, it's been widely reported that Reigns will headline WrestleMania 39 against none other than The Rock.
Rhodes is currently the massive -115 betting favorite to win the men's 2023 Royal Rumble match at BetOnline. The Rock has the second-highest odds at +500, and then five wrestlers share the third-best odds at +1200: Rollins, Reigns, Bron Breakker, Riddle and Drew McIntyre.
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