Cody Rhodes is officially back in WWE.
Rhodes made his anticipated return to WWE during WrestleMania 38 Night One as the mystery opponent handpicked by Vince McMahon.
Rhodes departed WWE back in 2016 and went on to wrestle for NJPW, IMPACT, ROH and the NWA. He held the ROH and NWA World Championships. He went on to become one of the founding members of All Elite Wrestling. His AEW contract expired at the beginning of 2022. He and Tony Khan could not come to terms on a new deal.
Below are excerpts from Mike Tedesco’s WrestleMania 38 Night One recap.
A choir is out singing Seth “Freakin” Rollins’ theme song. An elated Rollins comes out to the ring in a wild outfit. Rollins anxiously waits in the ring for his mystery opponent. The crowd is absolutely buzzing. All of a sudden, some huge pyro goes off and the lights go out. The crowd explodes. The crowd is absolutely losing their mind.
CODY RHODES makes his way to the ring to an ENORMOUS pop from the crowd! Rollins laughs and then gets fired up. Cody Rhodes emerges from under the stage, and AT&T Stadium is rumbling! Rhodes takes off his weightlifting belt and hands it to a kid at ringside. The kid is absolutely floored. The crowd is on their feet and screaming.
Rhodes gets to his feet and goes after Rollins. Rollins kicks him in the midsection and hits a Pedigree for a near fall! Rollins is furious with Rhodes and shouts that this is his moment. They trade blows in the ring. Rhodes chops the chest a few times before Rollins punches him back. They trade right hands before Rhodes drops down and kicks him in the head. Rollins quickly responds with a stiff kick to the midsection before kicking him in the face a few times. Rollins hits a rolling elbow followed by an elbow to the back of the head. Rollins goes to hit the ropes, but Rhodes grabs him and hits the Cross Rhodes. Rhodes hangs on and hits a second Cross Rhodes. Rhodes pulls him up and releases him. Rhodes peppers him with jabs and hits a Bionic Elbow to the skull just like his late father, the great Dusty Rhodes! Rhodes then hits a third Cross Rhodes for the victory!