Cody Rhodes Discloses Real Life “Resentment” AJ Styles Had Towards Him During Backlash Feud

WWE revolves around rivalry and animosity between wrestlers who see eye to eye from two opposite ends of the ring. However, for WWE being a scripted sport, there’s always been a thin line between Kayfabe and reality that sometimes gets blurred. There are a host of instances where two in-ring opponents share real-life heat. Cody Rhodes‘ and AJ Styles are the latest additions to the list.

During a recent episode of Busted Open Radio, Cody Rhodes’ came clean on his off-screen relationship with the Phenomenal One.

Cody Rhodes looks back to his brawl with AJ Styles to address an ‘uncomfortable’ truth

Cody Rhodes’ looks all set to defend his coveted Undisputed Universal Championship against Logan Paul next Saturday in Saudi Arabia. During a high-voltage contract singing segment at SmackDown last week, Paul decided the stakes for this match after having a heated verbal and physical clash with Rhodes. The heat seemed to be Kayfabe, but it wasn’t. Rhodes sensed some personal resentment in Paul’s treatment, the same he felt while tackling Styles from the LDLC arena, Lyon France, weeks back.

Elucidating deep on his experiences with selective opponents, the former Stardust noted on Busted Open Radio, ‘‘Oh, hey, we’re going to do a title match and we’re going to shake hands. I thought AJ Styles and I would just have a classic handshake hug to Georgia Boys. And I could feel his resentment toward me. And I can feel Logan Paul’s dislike of me. And it makes you uncomfortable. Again, that’s where you wrestle with it. Like, oh, this could come out any moment now, you know.”

However, regardless of the personal heat he encountered, Cody Rhodes’ Backlash win was pivotal for another reason.

Cody Rhodes’ Backlash victory backed him up against a wave of criticism 

Cody Rhodes’ path in WWE has been extremely uneven. Since his return in 2022, WWE made him pass one test after another to finally hand him the title of his childhood dream. That said, even after making the jaw-dropping history at Philadelphia, the tide didn’t turn in his favor. Rather, we saw people become tremendously judgemental toward the quality of his run right from the beginning and compare it to Roman Reigns’ 1300-plus day reign.

To shut all of these brickbats, it was essential for Rhodes to score a remarkable win at Backlash, which he did. Reestablishing his testament to resilience, power, and talent, The American Nightmare retained his title with a Cody cutter from the top rope, followed by a decisive Cross Rhodes. Now, all eyes are on Rhodes’ next big match in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

What’s your take on Cody Rhodes clarifying off-screen heat with AJ Styles? Let us know in the comments.