Cody Rhodes Heading To WWE SmackDown For First Faceoff With Roman Reigns

The WWE Universe has been waiting for Cody Rhodes to come face-to-face with the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, and we learned on "WWE Raw" Monday night that the wait will apparently end later this week. After picking up yet another win, this time over Alpha Academy's Chad Gable, "The American Dream" took the microphone to let everyone know that he'll be at "SmackDown" on Friday.

"He is on 'SmackDown' this Friday, and I am ecstatic that Roman Reigns is on 'SmackDown' this Friday because I'll be there too," Rhodes declared.

During a backstage interview later during "Raw," Reigns' special counsel Paul Heyman all but guaranteed that his client and Rhodes would confront one another on "SmackDown." While the winner of the 2023 men's Royal Rumble match hasn't spoken directly to "The Tribal Chief," Heyman has been a thorn in Rhodes' side for several weeks. Still, not even Heyman can curb Rhodes' momentum as we head toward WrestleMania 39. Since returning to the promotion last year and knocking off Seth Rollins at The Show of Shows, Rhodes hasn't lost a single match. We'll find out in a matter of weeks if that streak can continue.

As for Reigns, there's a good chance that Rhodes isn't even at the top of "The Head of the Table's" mind as we gear up for "SmackDown" later this week. Following the fallout from Elimination Chamber, Reigns has some business to take care of regarding The Bloodline, most notably, where Jey Uso's allegiance lies. Despite appearing at the end of last week's show, Jey looked on from the crowd while Sami Zayn delivered a Helluva Kick to Jimmy.