Top AEW star announced as Cody Rhodes' next challenger for the TNT Championship
Cody Rhodes recently won the TNT Championship on the "Holiday Bash" edition of AEW Rampage. He defended the title the following week, and he'll put the gold on the line again this Saturday. At the special Battle of the Belts event, The American Nightmare will defend his title against Sammy Guevara.
AEW announced the news in a tweet on Monday; the announcement can be seen below:
After #CodyRhodes became 3x TNT Champ vs @sammyguevara Christmas night, the #SpanishGod made a New Year’s resolution to regain the Title. This Saturday LIVE @ 8pm ET/7pmCT on TNT at the inaugural Battle of the Belts, the rematch: TNT Champion Cody Rhodes defends vs Sammy Guevara! https://t.co/MH8PBqYHKK
Cody Rhodes challenged The Spanish God a few weeks ago, and they ultimately clashed on the special Christmas Day episode of AEW Rampage. Rhodes emerged victorious, and his win sparked plenty of controversy in the wrestling world.
The American Nightmare is now a three-time TNT Champion. In fact, he is the only three-time champion in AEW history. Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page are both two-time champions. (They are one-time AEW World Champions and one-time AEW World Tag Team Champions.) With this in mind, fans have criticized the way Rhodes has racked up three title wins in AEW's short history.
Will Cody Rhodes retain the TNT Championship at AEW Battle of the Belts?
“Don't be a "heel", don't be a "babyface", be a winner, be you” -#CodyRhodes
📸: #AEW https://t.co/vMsMoBJ05Q
In their previous bout, Cody Rhodes cleanly beat Sammy Guevara, so it was surprising to see the promising star get a rematch so soon. While short title reigns don't usually happen in Tony Khan's company, we might see a deviation from the norm on January 8.
In their past two matches, Rhodes has won both times. Typically, when AEW books a third bout between two stars, the company doesn't have the same performer win the whole trilogy. MJF defeated Chris Jericho twice in singles competition before he lost the third round, and the same happened in Malakai Black's feud against Cody Rhodes.
As unlikely as it may seem, there is a slight possibility that Rhodes will lose the belt to Guevara, and this result could potentially solidify Cody's impending heel turn.
Do you think Guevara will win on Saturday? Do you want to see Cody Rhodes turn heel? Sound off below.