Cody Rhodes is officially coming to WWE, according to a new report.
For weeks, “The American Nightmare” has been the subject of wide-ranging rumors, reports, and speculation. All this buzz made it practically impossible to predict if, or when, Rhodes would sign with WWE, let alone appear on the company’s programming.
The former AEW Executive Vice President left the company he helped build in February; ever since his exit, the wrestling world has predicted that he’ll show up at a big WWE show. But the Elimination Chamber premium live event and the March 14 episode of RAW, which was held in AEW’s hometown of Jacksonville, came and went without any sight of Rhodes.
Finally, in a new report, Mike Johnson of PWInsider has cited multiple WWE sources who confirmed that Rhodes signed with WWE “10-14” days ago, and he’s expected to debut WrestleMania weekend on April 2-3. The report also notes that the “early word” in the company is linking Rhodes to the RAW brand.
Prior to his AEW career, Rhodes starred in WWE; he came up through the developmental system and eventually broke out as a member of Legacy alongside Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase. He also had a memorable run as “Dashing” Cody Rhodes and as the Stardust character. Rhodes is a two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion and a six-time tag team champion in the company. He left the company after he requested his release in 2016.
During his time with AEW, he was the inaugural TNT Champion, and he held the title three times.
Update: Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select subsequently reported that at the very least, WWE has been “operating” as if Rhodes is coming aboard. The report notes that the widely-reported WrestleMania match between Rhodes and Seth Rollins has been the assumed direction for a while, but other “huge pitches” have come up throughout this process.
Ross Sapp also cited a WWE source that “indicated” travel plans have been for Rhodes to be at WrestleMania Sunday, but”people close to Rhodes” denied this aspect of the situation. Of course, this plan could change at any time,
Finally, Fightful’s report also made it clear that Rhodes and his team have not confirmed that he has signed with WWE.
WrestleZone will provide more details as they become available.
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