When Cody Rhodes looks back at his Undisputed WWE Championship reign, he’s especially proud of the match he had against AJ Styles in France.
Rhodes and Styles met in their first ever singles-match against each other when WWE Backlash took place in Lyon, France in May 2024. It was the first title defense for Rhodes after toppling Roman Reigns — and he was on a mission to prove that he could be an effective babyface champion. A red-hot crowd, and having Styles as his opponent, made the show a special experience for Rhodes.
“There’s two things that lingered with me in terms of being champion that I was very proud of. I was very proud that immediately, right after WrestleMania 40, we jumped right to this PLE in France in front of the greatest crowd wrestling may have ever seen,” Rhodes told Undisputed in a new interview. “I shared the ring with AJ Styles, a wrestler’s wrestler, who is as good as it possibly gets–on any given day, AJ could be the number one wrestler for any company in the world.
“We told a story for that incredibly loud crowd, and I wanted to show that this run would be different. Traditionally, you’ll hear people say that it is hard to be a babyface champion. It’s hard to be a babyface in general. But I’ve been blessed to have this connection, especially this unique connection with our younger audience, which grows at a speed like no other.”
Rhodes added that the other thing that resonates with him about his run with the title is how his identity became being the champion.
“And something else I was really proud of is when the cameramen say, ‘Hey, Champ.’ Or Joe [Tessitore] says, ‘Hey, Champ.’ I’m proud of how my identity became that of the champion,” he said.
Rhodes held the Undisputed WWE Championship for one year before dropping the belt to John Cena at WrestleMania 41. The two will face off in a rematch for the title this August at SummerSlam. If Rhodes wins, he’ll head back to France as champion when WWE Clash in Paris takes place on August 31. Following Backlash in Lyon, this is the second time France has ever hosted a WWE PLE.
