Following his team’s victory at WWE Survivor Series WarGames this past Saturday, Cody Rhodes appeared tonight during WWE Raw, addressing the various happenings throughout the company. However, that wasn’t the focus of Rhodes’ promo. Instead, the WWE star referenced his ongoing quest to capture the WWE Championship before announcing himself for next year’s Royal Rumble match.
Before Rhodes was able to finish, however, he was interrupted by Shinsuke Nakamura. A video package featuring Nakamura played, with the former NJPW star revealing that the target of his cryptic promos has been Rhodes. Nakamura then appeared in person behind Rhodes, dousing The American Nightmare in red mist before making his exit. While Rhodes will compete in the Rumble, it seems he’ll have Nakamura to deal with on the way there.
Rhodes was the winner of the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble, going on to face Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania 39. Unfortunately for Rhodes and his fans, the former AEW star came up short against The Tribal Chief. Since then, many fans have operated under the belief that Rhodes will return to face Reigns in a rematch at next year’s show, as hinted at time and time again by Rhodes himself.
The 2024 WWE Royal Rumble will take place on January 27 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. WWE last held the Royal Rumble at Tropicana Field in 2021 but without fans, as the event took place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic when the company was operating without a live audience.