Cody Rhodes knows his WrestleMania 38 return was a massive moment, but he is not ready to call the match itself one of the greatest WrestleMania matches ever.
During a conversation with ESPN, Rhodes looked back at his WWE return against Seth Rollins in 2022. It was the night The American Nightmare walked back into WWE after leaving the company, betting on himself, helping build something new outside the system, and turning himself into a main-event player. The match got a huge reaction, but Cody said the real story was not just what happened that night. It was what came after.
When asked about the match being ranked as the second-best WrestleMania match ever behind The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels, Cody shut that down from a pure match standpoint.
“No, I don’t agree at all. I think it’s up there as a really great WrestleMania moment, and I think it’s a wonderful I think it’s a wonderful match. I think from from matches standpoint, though, see the thing is it it might get any distinction simply because it is a very significant moment.”
Cody said people can debate which WWE return was bigger, but for him, the real measure is what the return actually created after the fact.
“You can talk about who’s bigger returns, you know, if Punk’s return, Cody’s return. I always look at the return and say, ‘Well, what generated the most after?’ And I don’t mean just in dollars and cents. What changed the culture of one place?”
That is where Cody’s return separates itself. He did not come back for one nostalgia pop. He returned with the full American Nightmare presentation, and WWE put real weight behind it.
Cody admitted his comeback was strange because it felt both obvious and impossible at the same time. Fans had heard the rumors, but plenty of people never thought WWE would fully embrace the Cody Rhodes he became outside the company.
“I do know that that as far as a moment goes, there hasn’t been a return like that in WWE again so obvious yet so unlikely. Um really to come back was I I think many people thought that had ship had sailed, and now we’re sitting here and we have the WWE title, so very uh great moment.”
Rhodes also explained that leaving WWE was a major reason he finally figured out who he was. He said the full presentation did not come from Dusty Rhodes handing him a roadmap. Cody had to learn it himself.
“Uh trial and error, you know? I uh people assume with with Dusty as your father that he’s going to teach you everything, but my dad was super hands-off.”
Cody said his years away from WWE gave him the space to experiment in Ring of Honor, New Japan, Bullet Club, and the independent scene.
“It’s all trial and error. It was my experimentation outside of WWE with what I did uh on the independent scene and Ring of Honor, uh the Bullet Club, New Japan.”
That outside run helped him build the look, attitude, music, gear, and confidence that later made him one of WWE’s top stars. He also credited the people around him for helping him complete the package.
“I finally, I think, gave into the idea that you need a community around you to build you. Who’s tell me what I need, you know? Sandra Gray, who makes that military-style American Nightmare coat. You know, I’d mentioned taking risks. We take the risk and put your brand right on the side of your neck for the whole world to see and and have it for the rest of your life.”
Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania 38 comeback was not just a return. It was the start of the run that changed his entire career and helped reshape WWE’s main-event scene. He left the company still searching for the final version of himself, but came back as someone WWE could build around.
What do you think about Cody Rhodes saying his return should be judged by what it created afterward? Did his WrestleMania 38 comeback change WWE’s direction? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.
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