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Cody Rhodes entered the 2023 Royal Rumble as the favorite to win and delivered in a big way.
Cody Rhodes won the men’s Royal Rumble match on Saturday, officially earning himself a world championship opportunity at Wrestlemania 39 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, this April. The “American Nightmare” entered last at No. 30 and became the fifth person in history to win from that position.
A dream has become reality at #RoyalRumble.
— WWE (@WWE) January 29, 2023
Congratulations to the undeniable @CodyRhodes, you EARNED it. pic.twitter.com/v4YBiLYE2M
Returning from a seven-month hiatus due to a torn pectoral muscle, Rhodes returned to pyro and tons of adulation from the Alamodome crowd in San Antonio, TX. He mixed it up with the remaining superstars in the match, including his arch 2022 rival Seth Rollins. He found himself in the final two with Gunther, who entered the match at No. 1, and the two mixed it up for close to 10 minutes. In the end, Rhodes was able to force the “Ring General” over the top rope to punch his ticket to Wrestlemania.
Now that Rhodes has been stamped, we’ll see how soon he encounters the champ.