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Writer: Nikunj Walia
WWE RAW Star Cody Rhodes has been to a great start to his second run in the WWE. The American Nightmare took the wrestling world by storm making a surprise return at Wrestlemania 38 as Seth Rollins’s opponent six years after his last Wrestlemania appearance in the same city of Dallas, Texas, and the same venue, AT&T stadium.
Cody was previously signed to WWE’s rival competitor AEW where he served as the Executive Vice President and active wrestler winning the AEW TNT championship on three occasions with Dusty Rhodes’s son becoming the first major name to jump ship from AEW to WWE.
Get ready for ROLLINS/RHODES II at #WrestleManiaBacklash as @CodyRhodes steps back into the ring with @WWERollins! https://t.co/qnFH2joNLc pic.twitter.com/xNrvS4AXh0
— WWE (@WWE) April 12, 2022
With Cody set to battle the Visionary Seth Rollins once again at Wrestlemania Backlash in a classic rematch from the Grandest Stage of them all, let’s take a look at some dream matches that should happen during The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes’s second tenure in the WWE.
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Image Courtesy: WWE
After ending his feud with Seth Freakin Rollins, Cody Rhodes could move on to engage in an intense rivalry with the former Rated-R Superstar and now Inferno King, WWE Hall of Famer Edge. The Ultimate Opportunist has undergone his demonic alteration ever since feuding with AJ Styles culminating in a classic bout with the Phenomenal One at Wrestlemania 38.
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While these two accomplished superstars did not have any major encounters in their past WWE tenure, both currently operate on an entirely different level. The ever-resilient grandson of the plumber revolutionized the wrestling world outside the WWE while the Master Manipulator molded a Hall of Fame career and returned to the ring after being away for nine years due to a severe neck injury, winning the Royal Rumble match for the second time and also main eventing Wrestlemania.
I haven’t seen a lot of chatter about this, but was Edge teasing Cody Rhodes again on #WWERaw last night?
— Louis Dangoor (@TheLouisDangoor) March 1, 2022
🗣”My RHODES to #WrestleMania become a lot clearer tonight”.
Maybe I’m overthinking it, but no one really calls it their “roads to #WrestleMania”.
Just me? pic.twitter.com/2rHdVjZ4MA
With both Superstars having transitioned into the most successful phase of their careers, a clash between the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes and the Inferno King Edge could go down in history as one of the greatest matches in the history of WWE.
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John Cena is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the wrestling world who is yet to battle a fellow revolutionary in Cody Rhodes. Although the Leader of the Cenation has faced the Prodigal son of WWE on multiple occasions in the past, he is yet to step inside the squared circle with the Cody Rhodes we know today.
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Ever since leaving the WWE in 2016, Cody Rhodes underwent a complete career resurgence making a name for himself on the independent circuit while also being a major part in the formation of All Elite Wrestling both as an executive and active competitor. However, in March 2022, Cody decided not to resign with the company after failing contract negotiations with Tony Khan.
John recently shared Cody Rhodes’s image and social media post about his return to the WWE on his Instagram:
With Cena speculated to return in June later this year and his WWE appearances diminishing with time due to his heavily packed Hollywood schedule, WWE should pull the trigger on the showdown between Mr. Hustle, Loyalty and Respect, and the American Nightmare.
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A blockbuster dream match for Cody Rhodes during his second stint in the WWE could be against The Phenomenal One AJ Styles. While their career graphs had been similar in a certain manner, their paths are yet to cross and with both superstars on the RAW brand, it could be seen as a matter of time before two of the best in-ring athletes collide in a one on one match.
Styles had mentioned Rhodes during an interview with Wrestling Inc’s Managing Editor Nick Hausman at WWE’s WrestleMania 38 media row at the time when rumors circulated about his return to the WWE:
“Listen, I haven’t seen Cody here, so I’ll believe it when I see it,” AJ claimed. “This is what we’ve been a part of for a couple, well I’ve been decades. There’s a lot of rumors, but you don’t believe something until you actually see it.”
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AJ has previously battled Cody’s father, The American Dream Dusty Rhodes inside the ring almost 20 years ago for the NWA World Championship in a winning effort. Fast forward to today, The Phenomenal One and Dusty’s son are on the same WWE show and this could be the perfect opportunity for The American Nightmare to avenge his father’s loss to Styles.
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WWE Legend Randy Orton can be considered as the front runner for a dream match with his former prodigy Cody Rhodes. With so much history between the two superstars, this match might be a crowd favorite for any huge WWE show. Rhodes’s first major run in the WWE has been credited with Randy Orton as a part of his faction, Legacy alongside Ted Dibiase. In fact, his first-ever opponent inside the ring was the Viper himself back in 2007.
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On the latest edition of Monday Night RAW, we saw Orton and Cody for the first time together in the ring since 2013, with the latter coming out to congratulate The Viper on 20 years in the company. Orton spoke about the main event after the show talking about teaming up with Ezekiel, Riddle and his old friend Cody being unsure about his relationship with him:
EXCLUSIVE: @RandyOrton expressed how special it was for him to be in the ring with so many of his friends as he celebrated 20 years by hitting four RKO’s on #WWERaw. pic.twitter.com/jFL7FGaaFi
— WWE (@WWE) April 26, 2022
Orton’s comments about The American Nightmare could just be him sticking to his character.
Rhodes however, thanked Orton for being a mentor for all the years:
It looks like WWE has already planted seeds for a future match between the superstars which could be the main event of any massive WWE PPV.
Image Courtesy: WWE
Cody Rhodes opened the post Wrestlemania 38 edition of Monday Night RAW with an emotional promo about his father Dusty Rhodes claiming his return to the WWE was to climb the top of the mountain and win the WWE championship, currently held by the Tribal Chief, The Head of the Table Roman Reigns.
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The American Nightmare recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump and addressed the possible showdown with the current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion:
"...He has truly gotten over via consistency and via hard work. What he has going now with Paul Heyman and [The Usos]," Rhodes added. "I don't want to use this word because I don't want to sound like... he's an intimidating presence. I just look forward to obviously, again, it exists. There's a match out there that is likely the match that exists out there. But before the matches, you've got to cross paths in some capacity and we haven't yet, and I look forward to that.”
Cody has previously been inside the ring with Reigns in tag team matches during his days in The Shield. Since that time, both superstars have come a long way and have established themselves as once-in-a-lifetime generational talents of the industry.
Video Courtesy: WWE
A future showdown between the Head of the Table Roman Reigns and The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes looks imminent and could be a huge blockbuster for any major WWE show.
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