Backstage News On Cody Rhodes' WWE Merchandise Sales

Moments after winning the Men's Royal Rumble last Saturday, Cody Rhodes declared his intentions to "play quarterback" for "Coach Triple H" going forward, as WWE prepares to usher in a new era.

It appears the Rhodes – Triple H pairing is off to a hot start. 

According to Fightful Select, Rhodes is currently one of WWE's top merchandise movers, with the report noting that his "outstanding merch sales continued through Monday" after the taping of "WWE Raw" in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

Furthermore, the show in question set new attendance records for WWE shows in Tulsa, and WWE has been setting "new gate and attendance records for several "Raw" and "WWE SmackDown" events in recent weeks. 

While it would be premature to give Rhodes the bulk of the credit for WWE's recent TV ratings and attendance surge, it's worth pointing out that Monday's "Raw" was up 13.35 percent in viewership from the post-Royal Rumble episode in 2022. Last year's Rumble winners were Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey. 

WWE continues to position Rhodes as the possible next face of the company, with the official Twitter account carrying a header photo of Rhodes pointing at the WrestleMania 39 sign. Furthermore, WWE CEO Nick Khan recently told Bill Simmons of The Ringer that "Rhodes was trending towards" becoming the new face of the company prior to his torn pec injury last year, and that WWE management views "The American Nightmare" as the person to dethrone Roman Reigns as the top star of the promotion.

Rhodes vs. Reigns will main event April's WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, California.