“On His F**king Head”: Cody Rhodes Seemingly Hurt His Neck vs AJ Styles at Backlash but Real Truth Behind Dangerous Spot Revealed

WWE Backlash saw the WWE Undisputed Universal title up for grabs in the main event. The champion, Cody Rhodes, defended his title against AJ Styles. While the match would turn out to be one for the ages, something unique happened during it. Styles hit Rhodes with a move rarely seen in the WWE. While the move looked devastating and painful, the reality is far from it.

During the post-Backlash press conference, Rhodes revealed that he had suffered an injury. While fans knew which move was to blame, that was not the case.

AJ Styles’ Burning Hammer did not injure Cody Rhodes according to Bryan Alvarez

Pro wrestling has several moves that have been banned due to their dangerous nature. Seth Rollins‘ Stomp, Randy Orton‘s Punk Kick, and many more are fine examples. However, there is one far more lethal move in Kayfabe than those: The Burning Hammer. This move was brought back to life in the WWE by Styles at Backlash. Taking on the Bryan & Vinny Show, Bryan Alvarez shared his thoughts, saying, “AJ gives Cody a Burning Hammer. It looks like he landed on his f**king head and neck, and he’s dead.” However, he did point out that this was all due to the camera angle.

He continued, “A different angle where it shows that he landed perfectly flat on his back, and it wasn’t dangerous at all.” The topic in conversation was the new camera movement style the WWE has implemented. These minor tweaks in the presentation have come after the removal of Kevin Dunn. Moreover, these changes have earned praise from fans.

Developed by Japanese Wrestler Kenta Kobashi, this inverted Death Valley Driver is as dangerous as it gets. So dangerous that Kobashi used it only 7 times in his 23-year-long career. The move would often see the receiver dropped on their neck and shoulders. Being dangerous at that time, Kobashi rarely used the move himself. So if the move didn’t really hurt Rhodes, what did?

Cody Rhodes injured his shoulder on WWE SmackDown

During the first night of the WWE Draft, Carmelo Hayes was drafted to SmackDown. The first thing he did was challenge Rhodes to a match. While Hayes was exceptional in his debut match on the main roster, the WWE Universal champion suffered an injury.

In an attempt to hit the Cody Cutter off the rope, The American Nightmare landed awkwardly on his shoulder. Even the ring announcement team claimed that Rhodes may have injured himself. Despite some concerns that Rhodes would not be able to compete, he participated and put on a stellar showing at the PLE. At the press conference, Rhodes claimed Styles gave him a ding on his shoulder. What did you think of the move? Did it shock you as well? What did you make of the actual truth behind Cody Rhodes’ injury? Let us know in the comments section below.