With WrestleMania 39 looming, fans are speculating who Roman Reigns may face at the grandest stage of them all. A potential challenger, Cody Rhodes, may soon now be returning thanks to a recent confirmation by WWE themselves.
Rhodes has been out of action since June 2022 after he suffered a torn pectoral injury, which derailed all the momentum he picked up after his triumphant return to the company at WrestleMania 38 last April.
However, earlier today, WWE released the official poster for the 2023 Royal Rumble, which featured Cody Rhodes, seemingly confirming his in-ring return.
The 2023 #RoyalRumble poster seems to confirm that @CodyRhodes' return to the ring is imminent pic.twitter.com/4t9FlQFnKB
— Thomas Crack (@TCJourno94) January 6, 2023
Since returning to WWE, Cody Rhodes has made it his mission statement to win the world title, therefore if he was to win the Royal Rumble match, he would get a guaranteed title match at the main event of WrestleMania 39 this April.
WWE Hall of Famer on Cody Rhodes potentially dethroning Roman Reigns
As the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, The Head of the Table has been almost unstoppable, with only a few superstars coming close to defeating him.
During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff was asked about his thoughts on Rhodes being the one to finally take the titles away from Roman Reigns.
"Well, it's a wonderful story, isn't it? I mean, second generation, I mean, who's, there are maybe a few more beloved characters in professional wrestling than Dusty Rhodes. I can't name one for me. But Dusty was so beloved and well respected. And then to have Cody following his father's footsteps and then become a WWE Champion, come on, that's a story. And I think that's why people are leaning into that speculation because it is such a good story," he said. [0:34 - 1:01] H/T Sportskeeda
Check out the full video below:
Given Cody Rhodes' star power as well as the fact that Roman Reigns now wrestles a much lighter schedule than a world champion should, the stars may be aligned for the American Nightmare to be the one to finally dethrone The Tribal Chief.