WWE veteran claims Cody Rhodes winning the Royal Rumble was "not a huge surprise"

Cody Rhodes announced his return at the Royal Rumble earlier this month. He was out of in-ring competition owing to an injury he suffered last year. Following his Rumble win, many stars and veterans of the industry applauded his performance, including Jim Ross.

The American Nightmare was the last entrant in the Royal Rumble match and eliminated Gunther for the win. In the press conference that followed the event, the 37-year-old commended the Intercontinental Champion's in-ring capabilities. Additionally, he also highlighted his relationship with Triple H in the aftermath of his initial WWE departure in 2016.

On the latest edition of the Grilling JR podcast, the AEW commentator applauded and congratulated The American Nightmare on his win:

“So it was an interesting event. Certainly [I’ll] congratulate Cody Rhodes for winning it. It’s not a huge surprise, but does that matter? He was the right guy for the job.....Now he’s gonna be able to help the company build their way to WrestleMania in a few weeks. So I thought it was a good show. I thought there were some moments in there.” (H/T WrestleTalk)

Cody Rhodes Win Royal Rumble 2023 #WWE #WWERoyalRumble #CodyRhodes https://t.co/ty6Qm4hTrp

Cody Rhodes has set his eyes on the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

This week on RAW, Cody Rhodes addressed fans on his win, and announced his interest in going after Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39.

Upon his return last year, the former TNT Champion was determined to accomplish and fulfill his father Dusty Rhodes' dream of winning the WWE title.

#Rhodes2WrestleMania

@CodyRhodes #WWERaw https://t.co/V1A49do5Fb

The RAW Superstar competed against fellow Bullet Club member Finn Balor in the show's main event. He won with some assistance from Edge and Beth Phoenix, who came to his aid after The Judgment Day members interrupted the match.

Do you think Rhodes will be able to dethrone Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39? Sound off in the comments.