After his return to WWE, Cody Rhodes battled through pain to fulfill his American Dream of winning a WWE World title at WrestleMania. He came scathingly close last year after winning the Royal Rumble, but it wasn’t enough. The upcoming Royal Rumble presented another opportunity, but the massive return of The Rock and CM Punk could have put a dent in his plans. 

However, in an exclusive interview with SI, Cody Rhodes opened up about his thoughts regarding the same. He discussed the tough path he has to walk to WrestleMania. The former AEW star also talked about remaining steadfast in his path and also compared his story to that of CM Punk and The Rock. 

Cody Rhodes states that massive returns before WrestleMania don’t “bother” him

Cody Rhodes isn’t worried about the massive boulders on his path. He said, “I know what I’m up against. Look at the roster–it’s loaded with stars. But that doesn’t bother me. I’m not flinching. I’m not rooting against anyone else, I’m just working to make it happen.”

Despite the return of CM Punk and The Rock, the WWE roster still boasts the presence of other top-tier superstars who have the star power to main event WrestleMania. Some names include WWE World Champions Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, etc.

The massive returns of three superstars have also tensed up fans to ponder if Rhodes can realistically fulfill his American Dream this year at WrestleMania. After all, he is up against the behemoths of the pro wrestling world.

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But the former AEW star wants to focus on himself, like in 2022 and 2023, where he wrestled over 113 matches in a year and even battled through a painful pectoral tear. This year, too, he has a chance if he wins the Royal Rumble again. But perhaps his biggest competitor will be CM Punk, who too bears a dream to main event WrestleMania. 

Cody Rhodes acknowledges The Rock and CM Punk’s star power

Despite the rivalry and stiff competition, Rhodes acknowledged the star power of the returning superstars. Rhodes praised The People’s Champion by saying, “The Rock is The Great One–he’s still electrifying,” and for CM Punk, he said, “CM Punk is one of the greatest stars in the history of wrestling.”

The two superstars are bona fide legends of the wrestling world. While CM Punk returned to WWE last year at Survivor Series, The Rock returned at the Day 1 show of RAW. Both superstars may face Rollins and Reigns respectively at WrestleMania, so which side should Cody Rhodes choose?

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