Cody Rhodes Wins WWE Royal Rumble for Title Shot at Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 28, 2024

WWE via Getty Images

Cody Rhodes won the 2024 men’s Royal Rumble match at the same-titled premium live event on Saturday, securing a world championship shot at WrestleMania 40.

WWE @WWEDO THE WORK.
FINISH THE STORY.@CodyRhodes just won the Men’s #RoyalRumble Match for the second year in a row! The American Nightmare has his sights set on @WWERomanReigns as the Road to #WrestleMania is underway! pic.twitter.com/RkHT2oAsLT

B/R Wrestling @BRWrestlingCODY RHODES WINS THE ROYAL RUMBLE FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LS4KN6ia8C

As of now, Roman Reigns is the undisputed WWE universal champion and Seth Rollins is world heavyweight champion, but Rhodes made clear that The Tribal Chief is his target after his win by pointing to him in the crowd at Tropicana Field.

The American Nightmare, who is now the first back-to-back Rumble winner for 26 years, began the match as the No. 15 entrant. He eliminated Austin Theory, Shinshuke Nakamura and Gunther before a final showdown with CM Punk.

Punk was about to hit his Go To Sleep finisher on Rhodes, but The American Nightmare blocked it and threw his rival over the ropes for the victory.

The Royal Rumble is always one of the biggest and most highly anticipated events of the year, and the element of surprise and unpredictability are big reasons why.

That was evident when it came to the men’s Rumble, as there were co-favorites in Punk and Rhodes, but also several other Superstars with a legitimate opportunity to win.

Last year, Rhodes returned to action as the 30th entrant in the men’s Rumble after missing several months of action with a torn pectoral muscle.

The American Nightmare outlasted 29 other Superstars, including runner-up Gunther, to win and earn a title match against Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 39.

Rhodes lost that match due to interference from Solo Sikoa, but he vowed to win the 2024 men’s Rumble, get another shot at Reigns and finish his story.

Just a few months ago, Punk being back in WWE and competing in the Royal Rumble match seemed impossible, but it came to fruition on Saturday night.

The Second City Saint made it his goal to win the Rumble and earn the chance to main-event WrestleMania for the first time in his illustrious career.

Gunther, McIntyre and Jey Uso were a few of the other confirmed entrants thought to have a chance to win the Rumble, plus the possibility of surprise entrants such as The Rock existed.

For the second consecutive year, Rhodes won the men’s match, making him one of only four Superstars in WWE history to win back-to-back Rumbles.

His story did not end the way he hoped last year, but he should be in line to face Reigns in the main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania again this year, and it may finally end with him becoming undisputed WWE universal champion.

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