Cody Rhodes breaks silence after 46-year-old star becomes the new number one contender for his Undisputed WWE Championship

AJ Styles will challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE title at Backlash.

Cody Rhodes breaks silence after 46-year-old star becomes the new number one contender for his Undisputed WWE Championship

Cody Rhodes (via- WWE)

Since defeating Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL, Cody Rhodes has been looking forward to meeting his new challenger. He finally got himself a worthy opponent in the form of AJ Styles. The latter defeated LA Knight on SmackDown to earn his right. After Styles’ win, The American Nightmare himself sent a message to The Phenomenal One on social media. 

WWE posted a video on X in which Cody Rhodes expressed his thoughts on his first opponent. The Undisputed WWE Champion only had good things to share about AJ Styles. He compared him to the legendary Bret Hart by referring to Styles as the modern-day Excellence of Execution. Rhodes said that although Styles was more than ready to grab his title, he was also ready to fight for it.

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Styles and LA Knight both won their respective triple threat matches to qualify for the No. 1 contender match on the latest episode of SmackDown. Their rivalry goes way back, from The Phenomenal One costing him at Elimination Chamber to Knight invading Styles’ house to brutally attack him. The 46-year-old got the better of him in a WrestleMania XL rematch as he hit Knight with the Phenomenal Forearm to pick up the win.

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AJ Styles has an unprecedented reputation in a wrestling game. He's a modern Excellence of Execution. AJ Styles rarely misses, but I don't miss either. Lyon, France, Backlash... I'm looking forward to it.
Cody Rhodes on AJ Styles

Styles and Rhodes have never wrestled each other in the WWE or in any other promotion, for that matter. While one superstar is riding high since his historic win against Reigns, the other is ready to destroy anyone who comes in his path. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see what transpires on next week’s edition of SmackDown during the contract signing for their match at Backlash.

Cody Rhodes talked about the possibility of fighting The Rock at WrestleMania 41

On the Raw after WrestleMania XL, The Rock warned Cody Rhodes before leaving for Hollywood. The Final Boss explicitly told Cody that their story wasn’t over yet. He even expressed his desire to make him bleed again. Keeping that in mind, The American Nightmare talked about the possibility of the two having a match at the Show of Shows.

The Rock and Cody Rhodes
The Rock and Cody Rhodes (via WWE)

Rhodes made an appearance on Good Morning Britain and gave a nod to the idea of him and Rocky throwing hands. He stated that he had to be a great champion for him to come back and claim the title. The American Nightmare was proud of what the current roster has managed to achieve. Rhodes truly felt that if they continued to do amazing things, The Brahma Bull would eventually come back. 

Roman Reigns was a great champion, and will that be enough to entice The Rock. This run is a whole new generation, a whole new locker room. Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, myself, Rhea Ripley all these people. I think the more we keep this, the more chances to lure The Rock back out of the fray.
Cody Rhodes via Good Morning Britain

On the Raw after WrestleMania, The Great One handed Rhodes something that left the latter shocked. Needless to say, even after The Tribal Chief’s loss at WrestleMania, The Final Boss still has some unfinished business to settle with the champ. Only time will tell how The Rock’s future in WWE pans out.

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