A WWE Superstar makes a shocking return after six years away from the company as the mystery WrestleMania 38 opponent for Seth Rollins. This superstar is The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes, formerly one of the progenitors and biggest stars of WWE's rival AEW promotion.

Cody Rhodes' shocking return has been rumored for weeks, ever since Cody's contract with AEW expired. His name was even included in possible surprise entrants for WWE's 2022 Royal Rumble. The rumors went out of hand when Cody was confirmed out of AEW's doors. Still, this didn't take away the shock factor, the rush of adrenaline that coursed through the veins of everyone in attendance in the AT&T Center in Arlington, Texas, when Cody's American Nightmare theme started playing.

Cody Rhodes was presented as the mystery opponent for WWE Superstar Seth Rollins, who has been spending the past few months finding a way into the WrestleMania 38 Match Card. Rollins failed to win titles, start feuds, or gain any momentum for him to have a suitable match at WM38. However, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon told Rollins last week's episode of Raw that if he wanted a match at WrestleMania, all he needed to do was ask. And so, McMahon booked a match for Rollins at the Grandest Stage of Them All but stopped short in telling Rollins who his opponent was going to be.

Hence, the anticipation was high when Seth Rollins' scheduled match at WrestleMania 38 finally came. Seth Rollins did his entrance with a choir of kids singing this entrance theme, going out with an extravagant robe. But then, he waited, and waited, and waited in the ring for his opponent to come out. As Seth begged for his opponent to come out, pyros hit, lights went out, Cody's theme started playing, and the fans went bonkers. The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes is finally back in WWE after six years away from the company.

The two started off slow in what would become an extremely entertaining match where the two superstars traded signature moves and finishers for multiple pinfall fakeouts. Cody ended the match by hitting two Cross Rhodes back to back, before hitting Rollins with a Bionic Elbow, and another Cross Rhodes to pin Rollins in his WrestleMania 38 comeback match.

Cody's return is big. Really big. The prodigal son has come back, and it means so much to the wrestling world, and puts a lot of things into question about the future of both WWE and AEW.