Cody Rhodes Comments On Not Being A Surprise Entrant At WWE Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble matches are notorious for featuring surprise entrants, and heading into the 2023 men's match, a lot of fans expected Cody Rhodes to be one of those. However, WWE went down a different route for his return from injury, opting to share weekly vignettes about his story, and he told the "MMA Hour" that "it felt good telling them that, 'Hey, I'm coming back.'" While the "American Nightmare" admitted that it "might have been really cool" to be a surprise entrant in the Rumble, the decision was made to showcase the journey that Rhodes had been on since tearing his pectoral muscle. It allowed Rhodes to call his shot ahead of time, which was important to him, showcasing to fans that he is someone who keeps his word.

"It was really nerve-wracking and anxious watching those vignettes because they're not vignettes, it's like real surgery footage and real PT footage and they're at my gym," he said about the footage shot by Jeremy Borash. "I didn't want to let anyone down and I felt like I didn't, so that was what I liked about the Rumble."

Ultimately, the men's match still had some surprises, with the likes of Booker T, Edge, and Logan Paul turning up unannounced, while Rhodes would appear in the #30 spot to eventually win after a mini-match with GUNTHER to determine who would be the last man standing. Now he looks ahead to headlining WrestleMania 39, where Rhodes has called his shot once again by claiming he will fulfill his father's destiny to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. It remains to be seen if that tactic will work for him once again.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "MMA Hour" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.