Cody Rhodes Gets Closer to WrestleMania 42 Berth After Securing Elimination Chamber Spot on SmackDown

Cody Rhodes has joined Randy Orton and LA Knight to make half of the field official in the 2026 men's Elimination Chamber match.

Cody Rhodes Gets Closer to WrestleMania 42 Berth After Securing Elimination Chamber Spot on SmackDown

Cody Rhodes holding Sami Zayn for Cross Rhodes on SmackDown [via- WWE]

Cody Rhodes overcame heavy shenanigans from Drew McIntyre to qualify for the men’s Elimination Chamber match on this week’s SmackDown. ‘The American Nightmare’ was up against Jacob Fatu and Sami Zayn. Deep into the matchup, Rhodes landed a Cody Cutter on Zayn. Fatu, however, sent Rhodes to the outside and delivered a moonsault to an already vulnerable Zayn.

‘The Samoan Werewolf’ thought that was it and went for the cover. But, out of nowhere, ‘The Scottish Psychopath’ sneaked in to take Fatu out with a Claymore kick. McIntyre rendered the former Bloodline member completely ineffective by slamming him down on the reinforced commentary desk, which collapsed. Back in the ring, the Undisputed WWE Champion clobbered ‘The QB1’ with a Claymore kick.

The Scot placed Zayn’s lifeless body on top of Rhodes for the Canuck to score the pinfall. McIntyre exited the ring believing his job for the night was done. But to his shock, Rhodes kicked out just in the nick of time to keep his WrestleMania hopes alive and kicking. ‘The Chosen One’ made his way back to start unloading a series of punches on ‘The Prodigal Son’.

Drew McIntyre ultimately ate a Helluva Kick from Sami Zayn, who then succumbed to a Cross Rhodes from the ex-AEW EVP. And just like that, the erstwhile Stardust pinned his good friend to book his berth for the Elimination Chamber match slated for February 28 in Chicago.

It’s going to be Rhodes’ first Chamber match appearance since 2012 and also the first one since returning to WWE at WrestleMania 38. ‘The American Nightmare’ has been involved in the world title picture in three of the last four WrestleMania events. Should he win the Elimination Chamber match in a few days’ time, he would be entitled to get a shot at the Undisputed WWE title at ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All’.

Cody Rhodes gave away WrestleMania tickets to a young boy after SmackDown

After enduring a long but ultimately satisfying night in Dallas on SmackDown, Cody Rhodes took a moment to address the fans after the show went off air.

The former Legacy member appreciated the folks who had turned up to the arena and relayed to them how special that place has historically been for him. Rhodes said he was willing to give something away, which was a couple of tickets to this year’s WrestleMania.

Cody Rhodes on SmackDown
Cody Rhodes on SmackDown [via- WWE]

‘The Quarterback of WWE’ affirmed that he would hand them over to the loudest person in the building. After milking crowd reactions from every corner of the arena, Cody Rhodes spotted a young boy in the front row. The kid had Rhodes’ “American Nightmare” wrestling robe on as well. The 2-time Undisputed WWE Champion hugged the boy and lifted him up to his level in an adorable moment.

The giveaway of WrestleMania tickets was a kind gesture from WWE’s top babyface, but it was also trolled by a minor section of the fans. It recently came to light that the company held a multi-departmental meeting on February 11 to devise new strategies for jolting the sluggish WrestleMania ticket sales.

The latest estimates from WrestleTix have shown that WrestleMania has sold close to 76,000 tickets across both nights. In comparison to last year, this year has sold 10-15k fewer tickets, with the biggest spectacle in wrestling just 9 weeks away.

The price gouging is obvious, but it also needs to be outlined that running the same venue for the second straight year was bound to cause fan fatigue after a certain threshold limit.

Several fans joked online that Rhodes giving away free tickets as he did on SmackDown is one way to fill more seats for WrestleMania. The Allegiant Stadium has also announced 25% off on Mania tickets through this Monday until 11:59 PM PT. It would likely result in several hundred tickets being moved.

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