Tag: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes reveals house show pitch he made to WWE

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Cody Rhodes misses the old WWE house show schedule — and he’s even made a pitch for the company to get back on the road more often.

In recent weeks and months, Rhodes has expressed several times how beneficial he feels live events are for wrestlers. He spoke about the subject again on the latest episode of “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” and revealed that he once made a pitch for WWE to bring back one house show loop per month.

“I had suggested some of the top brass in the company for a myriad of reasons: camaraderie, the reps, the general sense of working here,” Rhodes said. “It’s hard to think you work somewhere if you’re only there a couple of days a week, right? Versus the schedule for when we first started, where it was full tours, live events, then you come to TV, and then you’re home less time…

“I had suggested to them, I said: run one weekend a month, call them house shows, make them almost — poke the fourth wall a little bit in terms of what they are. They’re canon, but they’re not. You’re going to see some of the stuff you see on TV, but it’s going to be a bit more of a mixed bag. And maybe you’re going to see some people you’ve never seen before who are getting their first rep in front of you. Run them that way where there’s an intimacy to them that’s advertised. ‘This is a house show. That’s what you guys are getting, and it’s going to be awesome.’ They’re so fun, so fun.”

Rhodes did not say how WWE responded to his suggestion. He admitted that, if implemented, we could look back in a year and think this was a bad idea. But he does believe it would help create a team-like feeling in WWE and keep the roster in a rhythm by wrestling more often.

Jey Uso was the guest on this “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” episode. Uso agreed that house shows are really fun for wrestlers and said he misses wrestling as often as he used to under the old schedule.

WWE does still run some house shows, though they are usually on international tours. Domestically, WWE still holds its annual Holiday Tour during the Christmas season every year.

Cody Rhodes on his WWE goals: ‘I want to run the score up’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

As he prepares for WWE Royal Rumble 2026, Cody Rhodes’ mindset is to run the score up.

Rhodes outlined his WWE goals during an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter this morning in advance of the Royal Rumble. Ultimately, he wants this era to be remembered as bigger than the Attitude Era was. Rhodes’ plan to get there is to keep stacking accomplishments on top of accomplishments.

“I’m a big proponent of, even if the score is up, we’re not punting away,” Rhodes said. “Since I’ve returned, I have every statistic you can think of: winning the WWE Championship, King of the Ring, Crown Jewel. Again, you said it, two Royal Rumbles. I want to run the score up. One more Royal Rumble, tie ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. The argument about the Attitude Era versus what we’re doing now, it’s put to rest. That would be the biggest thing done in my career yet. A near-impossible feat. Looking to get it done in a matter of hours.”

Rhodes won the men’s Rumble match in both 2023 and 2024, while Austin holds the record with wins in 1997, 1998, and 2001.

Among the participants confirmed for this year’s edition of the Rumble are Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Gunther, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Austin Theory, Oba Femi, and Randy Orton.

A victory for Rhodes would open the door for him to continue his ongoing feud with Drew McIntyre, who won the WWE Championship from Rhodes on SmackDown earlier this month. McIntyre has a title defense against Sami Zayn on the card for today’s Rumble PLE in Saudi Arabia.

Cody Rhodes: I want wrestlers to attend my funeral in full gear

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Cody Rhodes has issued a special request for wrestlers attending his eventual funeral: he wants them to be in their full gear.

During his recent appearance on Grave Conversations, Rhodes expressed his love for DC Comics and for kayfabe. Speaking to David Dastmalchian, known for his role in Late Night with the Devil, Rhodes brought up the DC story Identity Crisis where a group of heroes attend a funeral while wearing their full costumes.

“(It had) one of the greatest funeral scenes of all time because all of them showed up in gimmick, full gear. When my time comes, I want the wrestling world in full gimmick. Bury me in the American Nightmare Sandra Grey robe,” Rhodes said. “Bury me as I was. I spent so much time giving back to pro wrestling and taking from pro wrestling and loving that I got to play a superhero. I’d like to go out a superhero.”

The entire conversation between Rhodes and Dastmalchian took place while both lay down in open caskets, making it an even more appropriate setting for the conversation.

Rhodes is next set to appear at this Saturday’s 2026 WWE Royal Rumble in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Cody Rhodes says WWE return was a big gamble, had ‘a good gig’ at AEW

Posted on by Joseph Currier

When Cody Rhodes returned to WWE in 2022, he knew he was taking a really big gamble.

The decision ended up paying off for Rhodes, who has been one of the top stars in WWE ever since coming back. But just looking back on the risk that he took brings up anxiety for Rhodes. He reflected on the situation while appearing on a new episode of Undertaker’s Six Feet Under podcast, saying it might have been an even bigger gamble than when he left WWE in 2016. Rhodes feels he had “a good gig” in AEW — and there was no guarantee that a WWE return would work.

“The situation, looking back at it now, so many things were happening,” Rhodes said. “I had two television shows that were on Discovery now, but Warner Media programming. I had to juggle that, I had to really weigh it out. Obviously, opportunity is amazing, but I had to really weigh it out. Is this a mistake, right? They didn’t see it the first time. They saw a little of it, but they didn’t see it. Is this the biggest mistake ever? You think the first time leaving is the biggest mistake ever. Coming back, my fear was like, this could be the biggest gamble of all. I had a good gig. I had, contrary to what you hear, and you guys know how the internet likes to internet, but I had a good gig. I had an executive job. I loved the Bullet Club guys. But evolving and moving myself forward, it was just a lot to weigh out.

“And again, it could have been a big — had I gone out there and belly flopped in the pool, like, it wouldn’t have hurt WWE at all. It would have been, ‘See, he wasn’t. He was Little League all along.’ You know? Now I’m getting anxiety over it now, and it’s over. We already did it, you know? We’re good, we’re good.”

Rhodes has had two WWE Championship reigns since being brought back to the company. This weekend, he heads into the men’s Royal Rumble match looking to earn another World title shot after recently dropping the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre.

One of the biggest reasons Rhodes has succeeded in his return is that he’s been presented as a different version of himself than we saw during his first WWE run.

“I was presented as if I never existed there before, in a way,” he said on Six Feet Under. “Like, I was presented as this fully polished, ready, if you didn’t know, and you were a young kid watching, you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s so cool. Like, you jumped right in. And if you did, you were rewarded for knowing the journey.”

WOL: Jade is Jade, WWE in transition, SNME preview

Posted on by Jim Valley

On location from Portland, Oregon, it’s Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley.

With new talent like Trick Williams, Lash Legend and others being put in positions to learn from veterans and vets like AJ Styles preparing to exit, 2026 (maybe ’27, too) looks to be a year of transition in WWE.

It’s time to accept that Jade Cargill is who she is as an athlete. She’s been wrestling for nearly seven years.

We saw new Tag Team champions crowned and the build for Saturday Night’s Main Event on Smackdown.

The people who are criticizing Powerhouse Hobbs’s new WWE name lack creativity and vision. Toni Storm, Mina Shirakawa, Collision and more. Check it out.

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Wrestling Weekly: Will AJ Styles’ final match be at the WWE Royal Rumble?

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Image: WWE

Is the end of the career of AJ Styles upon us?

On this edition of Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa discuss his career and the possibilities that exist for Styles vs. Gunther at next weekend’s Royal Rumble.

We also look at Cody Rhodes’ recent comments regarding house shows and the latest episode of AEW Dynamite.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

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Cody Rhodes interview, two matches added to WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The lineup for tonight’s WWE SmackDown has a few new additions.

Ahead of tonight’s SmackDown, WWE announced that Cody Rhodes will have a sit-down interview on the show. He’ll address his upcoming match against Jacob Fatu at Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend, which was made after the returning Fatu cost Rhodes the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre two weeks ago. A brawl between Rhodes and Fatu then took place last Friday before being broken up by security.

Two new matches have also been confirmed for tonight. WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill faces off with Chelsea Green in a non-title match, while Carmelo Hayes defends his United States Championship in another open challenge. Hayes has retained over Johnny Gargano, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Leon Slater in his reign so far.

Montreal, Quebec Canada is hosting SmackDown tonight and Saturday Night’s Main Event tomorrow. Here is the updated SmackDown lineup:

WWE SmackDown (Friday, January 23) —

  • WWE Tag Team Champions The Wyatt Sicks defend against The MFTs
  • Women’s Tag Team title number one contender’s match: Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Giulia & Kiana James vs. Nia Jax & Lash Legend
  • Cody Rhodes sit-down interview
  • Damian Priest vs. Trick Williams
  • Non-title match: WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill vs. Chelsea Green
  • Carmelo Hayes United States Championship open challenge
  • Nathan Frazer vs. Johnny Gargano
  • AJ Styles appears for a chat with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis

Cody Rhodes potential WWE heel turn update

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE isn’t looking to have Cody Rhodes turn heel anytime soon.

Rumors that the two-time WWE Champion could see a character change have persisted in recent years, notably with The Rock pushing for such a turn during the build-up to WrestleMania 40.

Dave Meltzer addressed WWE’s current stance on Rhodes turning heel in Friday’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, noting that Rhodes’ merchandise sales are strong and that WWE doesn’t feel they are something to be “tinkered with.”

Meltzer wrote:

“Regarding any rumors of a Rhodes heel turn, we were told it’s not happening now, won’t until it’s deemed it has to and the feeling is that’s no time soon and we were told his merchandise numbers are nothing to be tinkered with.”

The plan had been for Rhodes to wrestle Roman Reigns for a third time at WrestleMania 42, but those plans were later scrapped after Paul “Triple H” Levesque decided against the match. As of last week’s Observer, the two WWE title matches currently being planned for WrestleMania are Drew McIntyre defending against Rhodes or a three-way involving McIntyre, Rhodes, and Jacob Fatu.

The full edition of this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter is available here.

Cody Rhodes explains why he misses old WWE house show schedule so much

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Cody Rhodes really wishes WWE still ran a more extensive house show schedule.

The former WWE Champion has been vocal about this topic in the past, and he got into it again on a new episode of his “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” podcast. Rhodes explained that he thinks the house show schedule kept wrestlers in rhythm and might have actually prevented injuries due to keeping performers sharp. Along with that, being on the road with each other helped everyone feel like a team. Rhodes believes that, when you’re only around each other once or twice per week, it’s hard to have that same camaraderie.

“I’ve said it on this podcast, and I know it gets me in trouble with my peers — and I don’t care. I miss them so much,” Rhodes said. “I miss the live events for the rhythm of wrestling. I feel like it helped actually prevent injuries. I feel like it helped a general just — not just the camaraderie, but the other thing is being part of the team. If you’re only here once or twice a week, it doesn’t feel like — what team are you on? Versus, ‘No, this is our crew. We run. We run Saturday. We run Sunday.’

“And I know it’s a different time, and the way the company works, it has its own difficulties and challenges today that are different, but I miss it. And I miss, it was those things. Just, ‘Try this.’ ‘Hey, did you hear that?’ It’s literally things that you could not put in a lab and replicate. Just a general excited fan. I miss it. But maybe it was a moment in time. I don’t know.”

The Undertaker was Rhodes’ guest on this “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” episode, and he agreed that more live events would be a good thing for talent. But Undertaker admits that the old schedule was too much of a grind and a better balance would need to be found.

“I get trying to protect your talent, but I also agree with you that not working does maybe lead to — because iron sharpens iron sometimes,” Undertaker said. “And again, I don’t think we need to grind like we did, but I don’t think you need not to do live events.”

WWE does still run some house shows, but they are no longer an every weekend occurrence. The live events instead happen on specialized tours like the company’s recent Holiday Tour and trip to Europe.

WOL: AMC doesn’t need TNA to be another zombie show

Posted on by Jim Valley

Image: TNA

It’s the Saturday Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley.

The TNA on AMC debut sputtered at times like an AMC Pacer. It’s been almost 25 years. It doesn’t matter who’s in charge, TNA management always seems to let talent down on the production and organization side. Thursday was no different.

Plus, something TNA on AMC didn’t tell you: what the main event is for tonight’s Genesis PPV. That came later.

WWE SmackDown built towards both the Royal Rumble and Saturday Night’s Main Event with some new faces getting opportunities.

Also, if you check out this show on our YouTube channel, you can see some of the Japanese wrestling merch I got while I was in Tokyo for Wrestle Kingdom 20. Or don’t go to YouTube and just listen to me describe it poorly. Your choice. You have options.

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Two matches official for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two matches are now set for next week’s Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Next Saturday’s show in Montreal will see Trick Williams, Sami Zayn, Randy Orton, and Damian Priest battle it out to determine the next number one contender for Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship. Orton defeated The Miz to advance, while Williams defeated Matt Cardona and Priest pinned Solo Sikoa.

The end of Friday’s show saw Sami Zayn win his slot in the four-way that will take place in his hometown, defeating Ilja Dragunov. The show didn’t end with a happy ending, however, as Williams emerged and jumped Zayn from behind, laying him out with the Trick shot to end the show.

Another match was made official when it was confirmed on Friday that Cody Rhodes would meet Jacob Fatu, who inadvertently cost Rhodes the WWE Championship on last week’s SmackDown. Fatu had set his sights on Drew McIntyre, jumping him inside the steel cage. When Rhodes tried to intervene, Fatu responded by attacking Rhodes instead. McIntyre used the distraction to escape and win the match.

On SmackDown, Fatu told Rhodes to come out and face him if he had a problem. The two ended up getting into a brawl that had to be separated by security.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (January 24)

  • Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu
  • Number one contender’s match for WWE Championship: Damian Priest vs. Randy Orton vs. Sami Zayn vs. Trick Williams

Cody Rhodes declares for WWE Royal Rumble

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Cody Rhodes has declared for the Royal Rumble.

The now former WWE Champion came out for a promo on Friday and addressed Drew Mcintyre’s comments earlier in the show, where he said that due to a contract stipulation Cody can’t get a rematch following his title loss last week in Berlin. Cody said that was fine and instead declared he would win the Royal Rumble, the first WWE wrestler to do so this year.

On last week’s SmackDown, Cody and McIntyre were tied in the Three Stages of Hell match when Jacob Fatu made his return, entering the steel cage and attacking McIntyre. When Cody tried to intervene, Fatu responded by attacking him. The distraction allowed McIntyre to crawl out of the ring and exit through the cage, winning the match and his third WWE Championship.

After Cody declared for the Royal Rumble he called out Fatu, who showed up later in the show and said if Cody had something to say to him, then come out and tell him. The two brawled before it was broken up by security.

WWE updates plans for WrestleMania 42 main event

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE has changed course for its WrestleMania 42 main event.

The plan had been for a third Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns match to headline the show. However, Dave Meltzer wrote in today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Paul “Triple H” Levesque soured on the idea of running a third Rhodes vs. Reigns match in four years.

Meltzer wrote:

“The way it was explained is that Paul Levesque took another look at the Rumble-to-Mania planned direction and decided that doing a Rhodes vs. Reigns match for the third time in four years and spending months building the direction would lead to audience fatigue.”

The change in WrestleMania plans and the decision to have Drew McIntyre win the WWE Championship were made within 48 hours of the title change taking place.

There are now two potential WrestleMania main events under consideration: Rhodes vs. McIntyre, or a three-way with Rhodes vs. McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu.

Meltzer continued:

“We were told that Reigns will be the odd man out of the WWE title picture. He is scheduled to return at the Rumble and one would expect his direction to be clearer there.”

“The two ideas for Mania at this point are a three-way for the title with Rhodes, Fatu and McIntyre, or just McIntyre vs. Rhodes.”

Meltzer also noted that both McIntyre and Rhodes pushed for McIntyre to win the WWE Championship, with the idea that Rhodes going into WrestleMania chasing the title rather than defending it would be a fresher story.

New WWE Champion Drew McIntyre is set to appear on today’s episode of WWE SmackDown in London, where his angle with Fatu and Rhodes is expected to continue.

The full edition of this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter is available here.

WWE makes significant change to WrestleMania 42 plans

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE looks to have made a significant change to the planned card for WrestleMania 42.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reports that WWE decided to shift its WrestleMania plans last week. The new plans are not fully known yet, but Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns is now looking unlikely for the PLE. One possibility is that Drew McIntyre, Rhodes, and Jacob Fatu will face off in a triple threat match for the WWE Championship, though that match could potentially happen somewhere other than WrestleMania.

“WrestleMania changed on Wednesday of last week, which was when they made the decision to go with the McIntyre title win,” Meltzer said. “So that wasn’t decided until Wednesday. I don’t know what the new matches are, although they may be doing a three-way with McIntyre, Jacob Fatu, and Cody Rhodes. That may not necessarily be at Mania, but that’s kind of — that’s not even 100 percent, but I was told that that’s kind of like, it’s a possibility. The Cody Rhodes/Roman Reigns thing is probably not happening. But whatever it is, the Mania plans were changed on Wednesday when they made the decision to change the championship.”

Meltzer noted that it’s not known why WWE made the decision to shift the Mania plans. He speculated that they wanted to shake things up and make it less predictable, along with wanting to put the WWE Championship on McIntyre.

McIntyre defeated Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match on January 9 to become the new WWE Champion. The title switch happened in Germany on WWE’s ongoing European tour. One week after his victory, McIntyre is scheduled to make an appearance on SmackDown this Friday in London.

We’ll get some clarity on the WrestleMania plans when Royal Rumble 2026 takes place in Saudi Arabia at the end of this month. WrestleMania 42 is being held in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19.

Subscribers can listen to the full Wrestling Observer Radio episode here.

Drew McIntyre wins WWE title on SmackDown after returning wrestler interferes

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Drew McIntyre is the WWE Champion.

The shock conclusion to the end of Friday’s SmackDown saw McIntyre and Cody Rhodes tied 1-1 in the Three Stages of Hell match. McIntyre was looking to crawl out of the steel cage door when he saw a hooded figure standing in his path. They eventually revealed themselves to be Jacob Fatu, returning from injury. McIntyre attempted to flee but was taken out quickly. But suddenly, as Rhodes attempted to intervene, Fatu attacked him as well. The two battled in the corner as McItnyre recovered and slowly crawled out the door, landing on the ground to win his third WWE Championship.

After the match, Cody recovered and threw Fatu into the steel cage in anger. But all he could do from there was stare at the new champion recovering on the entrance ramp as SmackDown went off the air.

Following his WWE title win, Drew McIntyre posted a simple message on social media: “No longer bored at work.” The post is a play on two other posts McIntyre wrote during matches he was wrestling in.

McIntyre and Rhodes had spent most of the fall and winter feuding over the WWE Championship, with Rhodes emerging victorious each time. After McIntyre was suspended for attacking a WWE referee, Rhodes insisted he be brought back, even resorting to brawling with McIntyre at his own house. McIntyre agreed to the stipulations in order to return to the active roster and get his championship rematch but continued to go the personal route, wearing Cody’s gold watch his father gave him prior to their match on Friday.