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Potential Cody Rhodes Return Date Revealed

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Xaiver Aguiar | Last updated May 7, 2025 6:59 PM ET

After carrying the company flag for nearly two years, it's clear there's a Cody Rhodes-sized gap in WWE programming. After dropping the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41, Rhodes has been absent from television.

The 39-year-old definitely deserved a break, but it's fair to ponder when Rhodes will re-enter the fold. For the last few months, most of his angles hinged on his title, but without it, where will he go from here? Perhaps the latest update on a potential Rhodes comeback date can shed light on his impending plans.

According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, there has been at least one pitch for Rhodes to appear at Backlash this Saturday, but it has yet to be confirmed if that's the definitive direction. Rhodes was originally listed to be at the upcoming SmackDown but now is set for the May 16th edition of the show at the earliest.

"The American Nightmare" can continue his feud with John Cena, but the latter likely won't drop the strap until the end of his farewell tour. Rhodes has a ready-made rivalry with Randy Orton, ready to be heated up at any time, but it would likely have to be a face-versus-face matchup at this point, considering how over both are as faces.

Really need to see Randy Orton vs Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship at some point. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/wPUPd9vX6C
— Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) March 28, 2025

Rhodes is such a talented performer that he can make anything his work, but his next program has to land with the audience to keep his momentum. Triple H has done a solid job of booking Rhodes, and hopefully, whatever is next is "cinema."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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