Cody Rhodes has shared the ring with some of WWE’s biggest stars, but one name continues to loom large over his journey—The Rock. After headlining both nights of WrestleMania XL in 2024, where Rhodes first suffered a loss in a tag team match alongside Seth Rollins to The Rock and Roman Reigns, he rebounded on Night Two by defeating Reigns to finally capture the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Now, with tensions still simmering between Rhodes and The Rock—especially after John Cena’s shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber, where he aligned with The Rock to attack Rhodes—the American Nightmare is eyeing another showdown.
Appearing on Pardon My Take, Rhodes addressed their unfinished business, pointing out that it was The Rock who pinned him on Night One of WrestleMania.
“Ah. He did [pin me]. I’m a bit of an ego-centric individual that wants his win back,” Rhodes admitted. “I think he’s due for more than one match, and I would love to be penciled in on one of those. Obviously, that schedule is as intense as it gets, but he’s still so involved with WWE.”
Rhodes praised The Rock for being more than just a ceremonial “final boss” figure in WWE, crediting his active involvement and passion for the business.
“He could have easily been the final boss and just kind of taken that as a customary title, but he has really gotten his hands involved in what we’re doing. Even though we may not like one another, the thing I do like about him is instantly, no matter what he’s done—record-breaking Disney movie, whatever he did that weekend and showed up—when you look at him, you can tell, oh, brother is a wrestler. It’s in there.”
Rhodes went on to suggest that The Rock still has two major matches to complete: one with Roman Reigns, and one with himself.
“I think he has two matches he has to do. I’m not putting any pressure on anyone, but I think he does—I’d love to see him and his cousin, Roman Reigns, ever have this encounter. Maybe it’s the greatest match we never get because timing or whatever it may be. And I think we need to finish our own story with him and myself. We’ll see.”
With WrestleMania 41 approaching and The Rock still deeply woven into WWE’s top storylines, Rhodes’ comments add fuel to the speculation that a singles match between him and The Rock could be in WWE’s future plans.
