Cody Rhodes breaks silence after being awarded ESPN’s Male Wrestler of the Year award

Cody Rhodes was awarded ESPN Male Wrestler Of The Year for his amazing run in 2023.

Cody Rhodes breaks silence after being awarded ESPN’s Male Wrestler of the Year award

Cody Rhodes (via Wrestling News)

The year 2023 is ending, and the WWE Universe is opining on end-of-year ‘awards’. Similarly, ESPN has decided who was the wrestler of the year for them, The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes. The latter broke his silence after being recognized on social media.

Rhodes took to X and expressed gratitude for being awarded the Male Wrestler of the Year. He thanked ESPN by sharing a picture of him on their website. The 38-year-old also added that he is already looking forward to having a great year next year. Rhodes also mentioned Marc Raimondi, the reporter, for choosing him as the wrestler of the year.

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Cody had undoubtedly one of the best years in WWE. He made his iconic return at Royal Rumble 2023 after that horrific torn pectoral muscle. He won the Royal Rumble and earned the chance to main-event WrestleMania, but unfortunately just came short against Roman Reigns. In the whole year, he is one of the only two superstars who have wrestled over 100 matches, the other being Dominik Mysterio.

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Thank you to ESPN and marcraimondi for th honor. Eyes on 2024.
Cody Rhodes on X

Even though Rhodes has had the most victories this year, an interesting fact is that he hasn’t won any singles titles since his return. He has only managed to win the Tag Team Titles with Jey Uso. It will be interesting to see whether Rhodes ‘finishes his story’ by dethroning the Tribal Chief or not. However, first, he has to go through 29 other men and win the Royal Rumble match for the second consecutive year.

Cody Rhodes talks about how he feels about WWE getting the competition from AEW

Cody Rhodes has been a part of both wrestling companies at their peak. The 38-year-old was one of the pioneers, instrumental in the formation of AEW, and after returning to WWE, he was instantly a top star in the company. The American Nightmare expressed his opinions about the competition between the two companies and how it is beneficial to the wrestling industry.

Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes (via WWE)

Rhodes recently gave an interview on the Michael Key Show and talked about the power struggle between WWE and AEW. He said that it’s good for the wrestling business and the wrestlers, as there are many options for a job. The 38-year-old further added that it certainly creates a healthy body and mind, as they can get a good amount of payment even outside of WWE.

The fact that there's an opportunity now to be paid well outside of the WWE, creates healthier bodies, healthier minds and creates better system amongst the locker room.
Cody Rhodes on the rivalry between AEW and WWE via the Michael Key Show
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Rhodes praised the product WWE has been producing over the last two years and described it as a golden era for WWE. Because of that, many of the top AEW superstars, like CM Punk and Jade Cargill, have joined the company this year. With both companies pushing each other towards greater product and entertainment, it’s only onwards and upwards from here.

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