Former rival breaks character to hail Cody Rhodes' WWE WrestleMania outing as "the best match of the entire night"
Cody Rhodes' match against Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania 39 has received a rare compliment from The American Nightmare's former rival.
The star in question is MJF. During Cody Rhodes' time in AEW, The Salt of the Earth had a notable feud with him. The current AEW World Champion defeated Rhodes at Revolution 2020 in a stellar one-on-one bout.
Despite their on-screen rivalry, the two stars share a close bond in real life. In an interview with Fightful, MJF was asked to comment on Rhodes' match against Roman Reigns. The 27-year-old surprisingly broke kayfabe to praise The American Nightmare.
"I think he came across like a top guy. I think he's transformed his body much like I have in the past year, but let's be honest. I am bigger than him, and I am in better shape than he is. But you know, he looked like a top guy, was presented like a top guy, had a top guy outing, had a top guy match. He just didn't win, and unfortunately, some nights, you just don't win. Cody Rhodes, I think, is the epitome of putting the work in."
Friedman added that Rhodes had achieved a lot in his pro wrestling career:
"Everything he has accomplished is literally only because of him, and he is far too humble to admit that (...) He got it done himself, and he should be very proud of that. Was I happy to see him lose at 'Mania? I don't know if I would have been happy if he won [or] lost. The only thing I know is he had an incredible outing and it was probably the best match of the entire night." (8:43 - 9:35)
Cody Rhodes' sister recently disputed claims of the WWE star wanting to lose to Roman Reigns
The American Nightmare's loss at WWE WrestleMania 39 came as a shock to many fans, leading to speculation about Rhodes wanting to win the world title at a later date instead.
The claims have, however, been disputed by Cody's sister, Teil Rhodes. Taking to Twitter, she explained that her brother never liked losing by using an example from their past.
"The well, Cody wanted to lose convo is very funny to me. He never wants to lose. One time I beat him at Street Fighter and he didn’t speak to me for three days," Teil wrote.
The well, Cody wanted to lose convo is very funny to me. He never wants to lose. One time I beat him at Street Fighter and he didn’t speak to me for 3 days
With Cody now gearing up to face Brock Lesnar, it remains to be seen what is next for him in WWE.
Do you think Cody Rhodes is better off in WWE than AEW? Sound off in the comments section below.