Cody Rhodes made his triumphant return to the WWE back at WrestleMania 38 and immediately launched into a feud with former WWE Champion Seth Rollins. This resulted in three consecutive pay-per-view matches in which Rhodes always won, the last of which included him fighting with a torn pectoral muscle. Rollins’ attack on the following episode of Monday Night Raw wrote Rhodes off TV until the Royal Rumble this past weekend, where the two confronted each other during the Men’s Royal Rumble match before Rhodes finally won. And while Rollins turned babyface during Rhodes’ absence from WWE programming, he indicated in an interview with Wrestling Inc. this past weekend that he still can’t stand “The American Nightmare.”
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“Look, I never had any disrespect towards Cody Rhodes,” Rollins said. “The only disrespect I had for Cody Rhodes was that he tried to come in and steal my spotlight. I shouldn’t say ‘tried to steal it.’ He tried to use my spotlight to catapult himself to where he wants to go. So there’s nothing more selfish in the world. Don’t let anything fool you. Cody Rhodes is a selfish S.O.B. He’s not coming back for anything but himself.”
When Rhodes first returned to Monday Night Raw via a video interview before the end of the year, he quickly shot down the idea of a fourth match with Rollins while pivoting his attention to finally becoming world champion. He’ll now face Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania, while Rollins is rumored for a match with Logan Paul.ย
“I’ve been very careful about even saying Roman’s name,” Rhodes said in the post-show press conference after the Rumble. “Because it’s one of those things where I knew and I’m sure he knew. I came back and the first night I’m back on Raw after WrestleMania I was pointing at my waist. I talked about it in an interview, the real story of wanting to win the WWE Championship, the one title that has eluded the family. And I’m sure he heard that and I’ve watched everything Roman has done. …I have nothing but respect and reverence for Roman…guys, I can’t tell you I’m the best wrestler in the world. Nobody can, unless their man is Roman Reigns. That’s the best wrestler in the world. I’d like to think I’m number two and I always say Seth (Rollins) is number three…don’t take my list that seriously. But Roman is undisputed, that’s the best way to put it.”
“If that is the situation we’re walking into in 60-something days at WrestleMania, I can’t shrivel under the lights. He’s been there before, I haven’t,” he continued. “It’s going to take everything I could possibly ever muster up and everything I have. But I’ve got to finish this story. It’s real.”
