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While they are on-screen rivals, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has respect for Roman Reigns.
Rhodes took time to praise his greatest rival yet, via the Flagrant podcast. He believes that Reigns earned his highly scrutinized part-time schedule. Usually, Reigns only appears for high-profile PLEs like WrestleMania and SummerSlam.
“He's incredibly special and [has] done so much for WWE,” praised Rhodes. “When people get on him for the limited dates and stuff, they don't realize [that] he was the thing — he did all this. He's earned everything he's got right now.”
It is interesting to hear Rhodes praise Reigns. He recently defeated him at WrestleMania XL for the Undisputed WWE Championship and has held it for over 200 days.
But they have also shown to tolerate each other. They recently teamed at the Bad Blood PLE to take on the new Bloodline, led by Solo Sikoa.
Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns' historic WWE rivalry
Ever since Rhodes returned to WWE in 2022, he was chasing the championship that Reigns held. After winning the 2023 men's Royal Rumble match, he challenged Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 39.
However, in shocking fashion, he lost the match thanks to interference from Sikoa. It took him a year before he got another opportunity to challenge Reigns for the title.
In that span, he had a high-profile feud with Brock Lesnar. That rivalry kept him busy for the summer of 2023 as the two competed in a trilogy of matches.
Later in the year, Rhodes also got involved in RAW's top storyline with Judgment Day. He teamed with the roster's other top babyfaces to face the faction in WarGames.
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After winning the 2024 Royal Rumble, Rhodes announced his intentions to challenge Reigns again at WrestleMania XL. However, this was when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returned and made his intentions clear.
Initially, The Rock appeared to take Rhodes' spot at WrestleMania XL. The story eventually evolved, and in order for Rhodes to get his match against Reigns, he had to go through the Final Boss.
At WrestleMania XL, Rhodes teamed with former rival Seth “Freakin” Rollins in the main event of Night 1. Together, they took on the team of Reigns and The Rock. If the babyfaces won, the Rhodes vs. Reigns match would be a standard singles match.
But if they lost, it would be contested under “Bloodline Rules.” The heels won, and Rhodes had his work cut out for him the following night.
Rhodes' title reign
While the odds were stacked against him, Rhodes emerged victorious, ending Reigns' 1,300+ day reign as Undisputed WWE Champion.
He has since successfully defended the championship against the likes of AJ Styles, Logan Paul, Solo Sikoa, and Kevin Owens. His title reign has now eclipsed 200 days and is still looking strong.
Coming up, Rhodes will likely be involved in another high-profile program heading into WrestleMania 41. WWE fans will have to wait and see if it involves The Rock or Reigns. Or he could always have a highly anticipated bout with his former mentor and friend, Randy Orton.
