Cody Rhodes wants to bring back the WWE Title as a Winged-Eagle.
This week, Rhodes appeared on WWE’s The Bump and stated that bringing back the Winged-Eagle belt is a “pipe dream,” but he believes he can make it happen if he defeats Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. The current WWE Title belt, according to Rhodes, is “incredibly special” because it serves as a “walking billboard” for the company.
“Through my youth, the WWE that I was watching was really synonymous with the Winged Eagle,” Rhodes said. “I think there is a lot of people who love the Winged Eagle design. Some people like the big eagle but the Winged Eagle was the one for me. Today’s design with the giant W is also incredibly special because it’s this walking billboard for the promotion. I don’t want people to think I’m calling a shot, I don’t want people to think I’m going into business for myself. The reality is I was able to change the Intercontinental Championship once before, which seemed absurd.
“If I’m able to get to the finish line, biggest WrestleMania of all time, SoFi, in Hollywood, if I’m able to get to the finish line and get my hands on these things that, like I said, that have alluded my family up until now… maybe it’s just a pipe dream, maybe it’s just a thought, a glimmer, but it would be fun to just say let’s just boil them down and bring back the Winged Eagle. It’s just a little pipe dream, I had the same pipe dream with the Intercontinental title and I was lucky enough to make that come to fruition so follow along, because this is where the fun begins.”
The Winged-Eagle version of the WWE Title belt was first introduced on February 5, 1988, during the Main Event match between WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. In that match, Andre defeated Hogan in front of more than 33 million viewers. The title was later retired when The Big Eagle belt was introduced in 1998.
The following is today’s episode of The Bump, featuring Rhodes and Grayson Waller: