“I whipped his a*s,” AJ Styles crosses all lines by disrespecting Dusty Rhodes ahead of his clash against Cody Rhodes at Backlash

Cody Rhodes will defend his title against AJ Styles at Backlash in France.

“I whipped his a*s,” AJ Styles crosses all lines by disrespecting Dusty Rhodes ahead of his clash against Cody Rhodes at Backlash

Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles (via WWE)

WWE held a press conference before the Backlash event, during which many superstars delivered some final words to their opponents. However, it looked like AJ Styles took things a little too far against his adversary, Cody Rhodes. He disrespected Rhodes’ father, the late Dusty Rhodes.

The former WWE Champion came out and addressed the French crowd. When Byron Saxton asked him about his history with The American Dream, AJ Styles stated that he had beaten him before and was confident that he would beat his son too. For those unaware, he wrestled Dusty in 2003 for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at TNA weekly PPV #65.

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Dusty Rhodes, The American Dream. I whipped his a**. You didn't like that but that's the truth. Look back at the archives and you'll see that I beat Dusty Rhodes, and tomorrow night I will beat Cody Rhodes.
AJ Styles said at the Backlash Kickoff event

After finally finishing his story against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL, Cody Rhodes was waiting for his first challenger. The 46-year-old grabbed the opportunity by defeating his longtime rival, LA Knight. On the latest episode of SmackDown, both stars met to sign the contract for their upcoming match. Rhodes stated that no matter how ‘phenomenal’ Styles was, this was a must-win match for him.

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After The American Nightmare defeated Carmelo Hayes, the 46-year-old star approached him and extended his hand, signaling his intent to resolve their differences in the ring. It will be interesting to see who wins, as both stars are going to compete against each other for the first time at Backlash.

WWE doesn’t have a “big-time direction” for Cody Rhodes until The Rock and Roman Reigns make their return

Regardless of the result of the match between Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles, fans are eagerly waiting for The American Nightmare’s next step. However, according to the reports, WWE doesn’t have a long-term direction for the champion. 

Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes (via WWE)

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Rock and Roman Reigns play an important part in the Rhodes’ title reign. Until they don’t make their return to WWE, they don’t know how to move forward with him as the champion. 

https://twitter.com/WrestleOps/status/1786376775963914274?t=2af9FHKidDm39Fi0ixBy4w&s=19

The Great One has already expressed his desire to have a match with the 38-year-old star at WrestleMania 41. Another big name that was teased as his opponent was Randy Orton, but they have teased nothing between them yet due to The Viper being a face. It will be interesting to see how Cody Rhodes’ title run plays out.

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