It's been a rollercoaster 2024 for Cody Rhodes. He won the Royal Rumble match for a second year in a row in January, only to have The Rock snatch away his WrestleMania match against Roman Reigns.
However, fans were so upset by the notion of the American Nightmare not finishing the story that they turned on the Brahma Bull and made it clear to WWE that #WeWantCody. Leaving the company with no other choice than to pivot, The Rock turned heel and Rhodes won the title on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Talking to Busted Open Radio, Rhodes shared his surprise at learning how much he meant to WWE's audience.
"I've never considered myself anything like that," he admitted. "I've liked when people build you up and say nice things about you, but I've never considered myself that in an honest fashion. So for him to go back, the most popular sports entertainer of all time, one of the most recognizable people on planet Earth...for him to come back and people make the choice to boo him."
"And people make the choice to even chant 'Rocky sucks!' and there were people wearing Rock shirts that were chanting 'Rocky sucks!' It's the first time I've ever felt my place in the ring and realized 'Oh, I might be getting close to where I want to be. I might have clicked and connected with this audience that I think I've connected with. I might've clicked and connected more than I even realized.'"
Looking back, it is pretty amazing that fans chose Rhodes over The Rock, particularly as the latter is a global megastar who typically received a hero's welcome while making sporadic WWE appearances.
Once upon a time, The Rock. vs. Roman Reigns was a dream match (and it still is, to some extent) but WWE learned that they couldn't move forward with it at the expense of Rhodes finishing his two-year story by becoming WWE Champion.
"Well, we're talking probably the most manic month of my life, in a sense of being so high, and so excited and so filled with inspiration for what might happen, to a complete low. A complete, 'This is the worst case scenario,'" Rhodes recently said of learning he'd likely lost his WrestleMania match.
"I found out the possibility of The Rock versus Roman Reigns the day of the Royal Rumble, and I had to leave that room, head up and make sure no one knew what could possibly happen, and probably one of the more difficult days I've ever had in the wrestling business. But also, how can you complain when you're winning the Royal Rumble, when you're pointing at the sign, when [there are] over 20,000 people in Tampa?"
As we write this, all signs point to The Rock vs. Rhodes taking place at WrestleMania next year, with the Final Boss ending his career in a match with Reigns in 2026.
As always, stay tuned for updates as we have them.