Latest update on Cody Rhodes’ injury ahead of WWE Royal Rumble 2025 clash
(Courtesy : WWE)
The American Nightmare was ambushed after SNME’s main event
WWE fans in Tampa, Florida were greeted with a surprise as ‘The American Nightmare’ Cody Rhodes returned after suffering an injury at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Rhodes was defending his title against ‘The Prizefighter’ Kevin Owens on December 14 at SNME.
The American Nightmare was rocking the iconic ‘Winged Eagle title’ during the appearance at SNME. The title was given on loan for one day by WWE COO Triple H. Kevin Owens ambushed Rhodes after losing the match, delivering a package piledriver. The Champion was stretched out of the arena due to the attack.
Owens not only attacked Rhodes but also took the Winged Eagle title with him, flaunting it on every occasion and calling himself ‘the true WWE Champion’. On the 12/27 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, General Manager Nick Aldis kicked off the show and issued an ultimatum to Owens.
Aldis detailed the historical value of the Winged Eagle title and asked Owens to hand it over by the end of the show or he will have to face severe consequences. Owens met Aldis in the final segment of the show where Aldis reiterated and asked Owens to give the title back.
Cody Rhodes returned to confront Kevin Owens on the 12/27 episode of WWE SmackDown
However, before things could escalate The American Nightmare made his return and confronted Owens. Cody Rhodes challenged Owens to a ladder match for the Undisputed WWE title at the upcoming Royal Rumble 2024 PLE.
The Prizefighter agreed to the match and shortly General Manager Aldis made the match official for the Undisputed WWE title.
The announcement of the match was lauded by the fandom but many fans raised suspicion regarding the timeline of the clash. Rhodes’ quick return from injury hinted that the injury was part of kayfabe and he wasn’t really hurt.
However, the announcement of the match at Royal Rumble PLE instead of at Monday Night Raw’s premiere on Netflix caused many fans to question if Rhodes is really injured and can’t wrestle. Fans were expecting the two stars to join in the celebration and clash at the debut episode instead they are fighting in February.
The debut episode of the Red brand on Netflix is set for January 6 at the Intuit Dome. Three high-octane clashes between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley, CM Punk and Seth Rollins, as well as Roman Reigns vs Solo Sikoa for the Ula Fala, are set for the debut show.
Three high-stakes matchups might be the reason for the promotion not booking Rhodes and Owens on the debut show. The debut show match card is already stacked and adding another high-profile match didn’t make much sense for the creative team.
The promotion booking the clash for Royal Rumble PLE made more sense considering the PLE also features the 30-man Royal Rumble where the winner earns a shot at the champion at WrestleMania.
Who do you think will come out on top in the showdown between Rhodes and Owens? And who will emerge victorious in the 30-man Men’s Royal Rumble? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.
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