Cody Rhodes’ next fight: AJ Styles is begging for WWE Universal title rematch
YouTube: Official WWECody Rhodes triumphantly defended his WWE Universal Championship at King and Queen of the Ring against Logan Paul. Now, fans are already wondering who is next for ‘The American Nightmare.’
Rhodes left the company after a largely forgettable run with the WWE from 2006-2016 to help build a rival promotion — All Elite Wrestling.
Alas, Rhodes would find his way back to the WWE in 2022, when he vowed to fulfill his father’s dream by winning the WWE Championship, a belt Dusty Rhodes never won.
Rhodes suffered a setback at last year’s Wrestlemania by losing to Roman Reigns, but he avenged that loss at Wrestlemania 40 and completed his — and his father’s — story.
The new champion followed up the Reigns victory by defeating AJ Styles at the Backlash PLE, in front of one of the most legendary WWE crowds of all time.
Rhodes did the same when he defended the strap against Logan Paul at the May 25 King and Queen of the Ring PLE. Now, as his time atop the WWE mountain continues, fans have begun speculating who the next challenger will be.
AJ Styles needs another shot at Cody Rhodes
After losing to Rhodes at the Backlash PLE, AJ Styles has been spiraling out of control on WWE programming for the past few weeks.
Each week since the defeat, Styles has begged Friday Night SmackDown GM Nick Aldis for another crack at Rhodes’ prestigious belt.
On the May 24 episode of SmackDown, ‘The Phenomenal One’ once again stormed into Aldis’ office, this time with a final plea to the GM.
“You saw what happened at Lyon, France. Cody and I tore the house down,” Styles remarked. “It was unbelievable, and I was one second away from beating him.
“So, what I’m asking before I make any brash decisions: Give me one more chance? Give me one more chance to be the Undisputed WWE Champion. Nick, I need this. Please.”
Aldis downplayed the request, telling Styles, “AJ, I know you want to be WWE Champion. And you know how much respect I have for you.
“If you’re asking me personally, 100 percent yes. Every day of the week. But professionally, I can’t give you what you want.
“That chance you’re asking for, that has to be earned, and that takes time.”
A visibly frustrated Styles instantly fired back, “Nick, you know I don’t have time,” before walking away dejected.
While it’s far from a confirmation that Styles will be the immediate next challenger for Rhodes’ belt, it sets up ‘The Phenomenal One’ with a kumbaya match in the near future.
And I believe there are plenty of reasons to go ahead and have Rhodes vs Styles 2 at either the June 15 Clash of the Castle card or the July 6 Money in the Bank PLE.
First, Rhodes has no obvious number-one contender after Gunther narrowly defeated Randy Orton in the King of the Ring finale.
This early in Cody’s title reign, it doesn’t make much sense to bury superstar after superstar when Styles, still one of the best in-ring performers, is pining for another shot.
It allows wrestling fans to get another five-star caliber match — similar to their first battle in France — and gives Rhodes a chance at a second victory vs the future Hall of Famer.
For Styles, as he mentioned to Aldis, the 46-year-old is approaching the end of his prime years, and the former TNA star can feel the walls closing in on his wrestling career.
While it’s unlikely that Styles would win and take the belt off Rhodes, that possibility does exist, as WWE could see it as a way to set up a trilogy fight later in the year.
It would also give one of the most outstanding performers of this generation a “last dance” for the highest honor in the business — the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.