5 WWE stars Cody Rhodes has faced since his return (other than Seth Rollins)
Cody Rhodes made his WWE return at WrestleMania 38. At the event, The American Nightmare battled Seth Rollins. The pair had a follow-up match at WrestleMania Backlash while also repeatedly going at it in dark matches and at untelevised live events.
The American Nightmare hasn't just battled The Architect, however. Despite most frequently facing the former Universal Champion, Rhodes has had a handful of matches on Monday Night RAW with other opposition. Some of these opponents are former world champions, while others hold gold right now.
Below are five WWE stars Cody Rhodes has faced since his return (other than Seth Rollins).
#5. The Miz fought Cody Rhodes on RAW
The American Nightmare's first match back on Monday Night RAW in six years took place on April 11th. After making his return nine nights prior at WrestleMania 38, Cody had another former world champion to compete with, The Miz. The grandson of a plumber was on MizTV earlier in the night, which helped build-up to their eventual match.
The match went back and forth to some degree, but Rhodes was in control for a large portion of the contest before decisively wrapping it up. The Cody Cutter, followed by the Cross Rhodes put the A-Lister away, giving The American Nightmare his second big win since returning to WWE.
#4. Kevin Owens and Cody went toe-to-toe
The former AEW star's next opponent in WWE came just one week later, on April 18th, 2022. This edition of Monday Night RAW started with an in-ring promo from The American Nightmare that Seth Rollins interrupted. Ultimately, the pair agreed that Seth could handpick Rhodes' opponent for RAW that night.
Seth Rollins chose former Universal Champion Kevin Owens to be The American Nightmare's opponent. Owens was Cody's third opponent since returning to WWE and the third to be a former world champion.
It was another competitive contest, though this one had more shenanigans with Seth Rollins ringside. Ultimately, Owens and Rollins would get into an argument which led to KO leaving and being counted out. Cody Rhodes won, but he wasn't pleased with the victory.
#3. & #2. The Usos battled with Cody in an eight-man tag team match
#SmackDown Tag Team Champions The @WWEUsos crashed the party to give their favorite @RandyOrton moment... https://t.co/1XbIiJmofT
On the April 25th edition of Monday Night RAW, WWE celebrated the twentieth anniversary of Randy Orton. The Viper and his RK-Bro partner Riddle opened the show with wrestlers surrounding the ring cheering on the veteran. The segment led to bickering among several stars, and in the end, the stage was set for the main event.
The main event for the evening was an eight-man tag team match. RK-Bro teamed up with Ezekiel and Cody Rhodes to take on Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and The Usos. While Rhodes had faced both Rollins and Owens before, The Usos were completely new opponents for him.
Cody's team won in the end after The Viper hit Jey Uso with the RKO.
#1. Rhodes took on Theory for the WWE United States Championship
What a star...
@_Theory1 @CodyRhodes #WWERaw #USTitle https://t.co/0UnCsGytuN
The May 9th, 2022 edition of Monday Night RAW featured The American Nightmare's most recent televised match. Cody Rhodes took on the United States Champion Theory. This was the first time the two ever had a match together in WWE while also being the first championship match for Rhodes since his return.
The WWE Universe was ready for Rhodes to become the new United States Champion, and he almost succeeded in that goal. Theory and Rhodes had a hard fought battle, which included the duo fighting outside the ring at points.
Ultimately, Cody was sizing Theory up to finish him off with the Cross Rhodes only for Seth Rollins to lay Rhodes out in front of the referee, causing a disqualification. The American Nightmare won the match, but he did not win the championship.