Reason Behind Cody Rhodes’ Quick Return After WWE WrestleMania Injury Revealed
The Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has shared more about the injuries he sustained at WrestleMania 42 and his recovery.
In the main event of WWE WrestleMania 42 Saturday, Cody Rhodes successfully defended the Undisputed WWE Championship against his good friend and wrestling mentor, Randy Orton.
However, the big story after the match is that Cody’s left eye was completely shut, and he was placed in concussion protocol. It may have been due to the punt that Orton did in the match, or perhaps something else caused it.
Even though he was hurting, the WWE Champion still showed up on Monday Night Raw two nights later.
After getting clearance from WWE’s medical team, Cody Rhodes was back in the ring on the May 1st edition of SmackDown, which was just 13 days after his WrestleMania 42 match. Rhodes beat SmackDown newcomer Ricky Saints on that show.
In a WWE sitdown interview with Joe Tessitore, Cody Rhodes focused on what happened after WrestleMania 42 – he got up.
“What I would say is everything you needed to know about me—everything you needed to know—happened after. I got up and I walked. I didn’t put on some silly Manila neck brace, I didn’t have myself boarded away.”
As he continued, Cody Rhodes spoke more about the aftermath and admitted he was lucky to leave WrestleMania as WWE Champion.
“I got up, I walked out, and I tried to make eye contact with as many people as I could and let them know two things—still the champ, still here. And if that’s Randy Orton’s best shot—and Randy Orton was at his best ever—what does that say?
That’s a night where I was lucky to leave with the championship that means the most to our game, but also leave without a concussion, leave without an orbital fracture. And I was able to show people, like you said—it’s going to heal.”
Cody Rhodes Was Determined To Come Back Quickly
The discussion continued with Cody Rhodes talking about being QB1 – like the starting quarterback on a football team – in WWE, and how important it is for him to be a consistent leader in WWE.
“It felt very important, because you say QB1—what is QB1? If anything, and maybe the biggest thing I’ve learned, it’s consistency. There’s always a flavor of the month, right? There’s always some hot new thing—and good for it. That’s exciting when the crowd gets behind something new. But all my favorites, all the QB1s before me, were consistent. Week in and week out.”
Many people mention Cody idolizing John Cena and wanting to be like Cena, but Cody doesn’t mind that.
“And now there are all these jokes about how I’ve tried to follow the John Cena model. I don’t mind those jokes at all—that’s a hell of a model. Most people run from it because it means work. It means work.”
Cody Rhodes went on to say that he’s going to continue showing up every week.
“And I’m also aware of the other QBs in WWE. If their strategy is ‘less is more,’ if their strategy is more strategic, then I’m not going to play that game. I’ll do it differently. I’ll be here every week. I’ll see this team every week. It’s not a matter of who’s right or wrong—it’s just my preference.” (H/t Ringsidenews)
Up next for Cody Rhodes is a WWE Title match against Gunther at WWE Clash in Italy on May 31st. Here’s the lineup.
- Tribal Combat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
- Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Gunther
- WWE Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Jade Cargill
- Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
- Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sol Ruca
You can watch WWE Clash in Italy on Sunday, May 31, at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited plan in the United States and Netflix internationally.
Also Read: WWE Champion Cody Rhodes Admits Addiction: “I’m Not Afraid To Tell Anybody”