Cody Rhodes looks to have wrapped up his feud with Shinsuke Nakamura after decidedly dispatching the former NJPW star on WWE Raw in a Street Fight. Now, the former AEW EVP has his sights set on once again winning the WWE Royal Rumble and headlining WrestleMania, finishing his story. His path to repeating what he accomplished last year seemed clear until a few months ago when other big names re-entered the WWE fray.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson teased a match against Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns a few months ago. Since then, he has appeared on WWE Raw Day 1 and not-so-subtly called out The Head of The Table. Reigns’ “wise man,” Paul Heyman, responded to The Rock on SmackDown, making it sound like he and other stars, like CM Punk, are just looking to get the rub from wrestling The Tribal Chief. Punk, of course, returned to WWE recently and has made it clear he also intends to win the Rumble and main event WrestleMania.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Rhodes spoke candidly about The Rock and Punk returning to WWE and possibly disrupting his story.
“The Rock is The Great One–he’s still electrifying,” Rhodes said. “CM Punk is one of the greatest stars in the history of wrestling. I know what I’m up against. Look at the roster–it’s loaded with stars. But that doesn’t bother me. I’m not flinching. I’m not rooting against anyone else; I’m just working to make it happen.”
“The milestones keep building,” he continued. “We keep climbing to new levels. Now, the question I keep asking myself is, ‘Who is the face of the place?’ That’s what I want. That’s another level I need to attain. Hopefully, that starts at the Royal Rumble.”
“No run lasts forever. I know that. I’ve seen that. So I’m savoring every moment–and I’m working toward accomplishing what’s never been before.”