Cody Rhodes Enters Men's Royal Rumble On WWE SmackDown, Will Face Jacob Fatu At SNME

Former Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is not letting a recent title loss to Drew McIntyre slow his road to WrestleMania. Friday, "The American Nightmare" made his plans clear to London and the WWE Universe: after he disposes of Jacob Fatu at Saturday Night's Main Event, he will be gunning for a third career Royal Rumble victory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Rhodes was greeted by chants and cheers from London as he made his appearance halfway through "WWE SmackDown." While he was wearier after losing his title, Rhodes reiterated his loyalty to the WWE Universe, and hyped up the crowd before making his declaration.

"Drew McIntyre said that there was no rematch clause — good," Rhodes stated. "We'll do this the old way. I am officially declaring myself the first entrant in the 2026 Royal Rumble!"

Rhodes then turned his attention to Fatu, whose recent return cost Rhodes his title. Rhodes acknowledged Fatu as a "young veteran" in the industry, but promised to issue the "biggest receipt [he] had ever handed out" to Fatu.

"You can drive your "all gas" car down here right now and collect it yourself. Or, Jacob, I can find it, and beat the brakes off your a**!" Rhodes promised.

While Fatu did not appear during Rhodes' rant, he did appear to ruin Kit Wilson's homecoming parade. After wiping Wilson out with a Superkick and Senton, he challenged Rhodes to come out for a brawl, to which "The American Nightmare" obliged. Several WWE security personnel separated the two, and as soon as order was restored, Nick Aldis made the match official for Saturday Night's Main Event.

With his announcement, Rhodes became the first of many to declare for this year's Royal Rumble, which is slated for January 31. The Road to WrestleMania will start just one week after Montreal's Saturday Night's Main Event, slated for January 24.