After winning his match against Kevin Owens, Cody Rhodes suffered the same kayfabe injury Randy Orton did at the hands of a sour Owens. And now fans got to see the aftermath.
The feud that started at WWE Bad Blood between Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens has already reached the next level. After hitting Rhodes with his Package Piledriver, walking away with his title belt and squaring off with Triple H, Owens does not have a care in the world.
Rhodes needed medical attention after taking the banned move and hasn’t been seen since. But he did take some time out for the fans.
Photo by WWE/Getty ImagesCody Rhodes showing signs of the kayfabe injury in public
After Owens hit Randy Orton with the Package Piledriver, the two were seen in public admiring Owens’ car. The increased number of fans with cameras has made it hard for kayfabe injuries to work outside the arena. However, this is Rhodes we’re talking about.
A fan took to social media to post recent images of Rhodes. They were taken at a meet-and-greet in Atlanta. Rhodes was seen in a neck brace.
For any WWE fans
Current Undisputed WWE Champion:
The American Nightmare & Atlanta’s very own — Cody Rhodes 🇺🇸🏆🇺🇸@CodyRhodes
Hoping Cody Rhodes can face Randy Orton at WWE WrestleMania 41 (XLI) in Las Vegas in 2025. #WWERAW #SmackDown #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/BcQa9P2hsN
— Latrell Phillips (@TrizzeTrell) December 20, 2024
The idea of the neck brace dates back in pro wrestling. Whenever someone wants to sell the damage a particular spot did, out comes the neck brace. Even AEW’s Tony Khan was seen wearing one after getting attacked by the Elite.
It is unclear if Rhodes will be on the upcoming episode of WWE SmackDown as it was pre-taped last week. He is advertised to be on the WWE RAW debut on Netflix episode.
Vince Russo criticized Rhodes’ booking
Rhodes’ run as the WWE Undisputed Champion has sparked mixed reactions. While many fans like it, some feel it hasn’t lived up to the hype.
Vince Russo said on his The Brand podcast: “He’s getting stale as a character because they’re not doing anything with him. Nothing. There’s no story, there’s nothing. He’s just going out there and wrestling.”
This is not a wrong critique of Rhodes’ booking, as he has yet to have a long-term feud. The Rock isn’t here to continue what was left off after WrestleMania 40.
Rhodes even made up with Roman Reigns and assisted him at Bad Blood against Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline 2.0. It will be interesting to see how WWE books Rhodes in 2025.