Huge RAW Star Takes Credit For Cody Rhodes’ WWE Success

Cody Rhodes’ WWE success should be attributed to his hard work, but the influence of other superstars on his mega-career should not be forgotten. 

The American Nightmare returned to WWE in 2022 when he answered Seth Rollins’ mystery opponent spot for WrestleMania 38. That kicked off an intense rivalry between the stalwarts.

Cody Rhodes defeated The Visionary at WrestleMania 38 and went on to battle him two more times, creating a trilogy that defined his growth in the company. The American Nightmare fought Rollins in a rematch at Backlash 2022 and again at Hell in a Cell with a torn pec muscle.

With Rhodes holding a 3-0 victory in the trilogy, the influence of it on his career has been significant.

Seth Rollins made a bold claim about Cody Rhodes’ success

The former World Heavyweight Champion spoke with Julian Edelman on Games with Names. During that conversation, he spoke about the Rhodes-Rollins trilogy, claiming that without it The American Nightmare would not be who he is.

Without it, Cody Rhodes is not who he is. I’m fine. I never left WWE. I’ve been here, I’ve been the flagbearer, I helped take the thing to the next level. There was a lot of uncertainty about, ‘If Cody comes back, is he going to be the same ol’ Cody Rhodes? Is he going to be Dashing Cody Rhodes or the guy who falls into the Stardust trap? What is the American Nightmare? Can he take the mantle from John Cena and run, or is he another flash in the pan?’

These three matches, and this performance [Hell in a Cell], especially really cemented him as the guy who could be the next guy. The audience immediately believed in him from this moment and he was their guy. He was able to go on an incredible two-year run after he came back and is still running. This catapulted him to the next level and solidified what I had already done and who I was for this company and the industry. [H/t: Fightful]

Currently, Rhodes is in a feud with Drew McIntyre, while Seth Rollins is off WWE TV owing to an injury that he suffered during his Crown Jewel 2025 match against The American Nightmare!

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