Cody Rhodes made his anticipated return to WWE in what's being referred to as "the worst kept secret in pro wrestling," this past weekend when he was revealed as Seth Rollins' surprise WrestleMania 38 opponent.
Rhodes initially left WWE back in 2016 after being subjected to the Stardust gimmick that he has openly stated he was not a big fan of. Since his departure, Rhodes birthed his "American Nightmare" persona, a play on his father, WWE Hall Of Famer Dusty Rhodes', "American Dream" nickname. After a successful indie run, as well as helping build All Elite Wrestling (AEW) up from scratch, Rhodes decided to return to WWE when his contract with AEW expired earlier this year.
Now, after having proved himself as a top singles star away from the company, Rhodes is back in WWE with a much different outlook on his potential. When negotiating his return with Vince McMahon, Rhodes tells
“There wasn’t any true guarantees, there was a request,” Rhodes said (via Wrestling Inc.). “I said I never want to ever see Stardust ever again and I never want to see, hear it or talk about it and it was a handshake and that was all I needed.
"Then the first thing I did in the match last night was a random Stardust reference, I thought what’re you doing? You’re going back on your own strange request, other than that it was complex to get this all together and maybe one of wrestling’s biggest contracts, which I’m so flattered about. I have a child so yeah.
Cody Rhodes topped Rollins in an excellent matchup during Night One of WrestleMania 38, and is ready to address the WWE Universe tonight on Monday Night RAW. It will be interesting to see what's in store for "The American Nightmare" in the midst of the WrestleMania fallout.