Cody Rhodes Confirms His WWE Return Date

Roman Reigns could have his "American Nightmare" coming true at WrestleMania 39.

Cody Rhodes officially declared his entry into the upcoming 30-Man Royal Rumble Match on the 1/16 "WWE Raw," making it clear that he's coming for the "Tribal Chief's" Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. 

Rhodes made the announcement at the end of the third and final "Road To Recovery" video airing on this week's red brand show.

"Since I came back at WrestleMania [last year], I have made it crystal clear what I want," Rhodes said in the video. "At the Royal Rumble, I'm back!" 

Earlier in the video, Rhodes seemingly confirmed Fightful Select's recent report that he returned to in-ring training in December, nearly six months after undergoing surgery to repair his torn pectoral tendon. Fightful's report had also noted that Rhodes handpicked "WWE NXT" superstars Joe Gacy and Carmelo Hayes as the wrestlers helping him train for his in-ring return.

Furthermore, the video once again included comments from Brandi Rhodes, who spoke glowingly about her husband's relentless work ethic and determination to return to the ring. After Rhodes underwent surgery on June 9, WWE announced the second-generation wrestler would miss at least nine months of action. As such, Rhodes is already ahead of schedule in his recovery process. 

Rhodes was written off WWE television after being ambushed by Seth Rollins on June 6. However, Rhodes recently said a fourth match against Rollins was "not on my radar," and that he was solely focused on winning WWE's top titles. It's also worth noting that Rollins has turned babyface in recent weeks, which could prevent WWE creative from renewing the rivalry between the two veteran wrestlers. 

Rhodes, the current odds-on favorite to win the Men's Royal Rumble, could be on the verge of setting up a clash against Reigns at WrestleMania 39. However, the potential bout is still a ways away, as Reigns defends his gold against Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble. Also, WWE has teased The Rock's return for next week's "Raw Is XXX" special episode, where The Bloodline celebrates Reigns' historic title reign. The Rock vs. Reigns is the other rumored WrestleMania 39 main event.