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Newsweek
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Cody Rhodes Suddenly Pulled From WWE Events
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Cody Rhodes' absence from WWE programming since his Undisputed WWE Championship loss to John Cena at WrestleMania 41 has left the WWE Universe eagerly awaiting his next move. After finishing his historic title reign in Las Vegas last month, Rhodes has remained entirely silent, offering no messages or responses regarding his defeat or his future plans. Adding to the mystery, Rhodes, who typically shares his upcoming appearance schedule with fans at the start of each month, did not post one for May 2025. While initial reports suggested he was advertised for the SmackDown episode following WrestleMania week (April 25th), he ultimately did not appear on that broadcast, fueling speculation about a potential extended hiatus. However, WWE's own promotional activities may have now revealed the target date for the American Nightmare's return. After noticeably removing Rhodes from advertisements for the May 2nd and May 9th episodes of SmackDown, the company is now prominently featuring him on promotional materials for the May 16th edition of Friday Night SmackDown, scheduled to take place in Greensboro, North Carolina. confirms he remains advertised for this date and subsequent SmackDown shows moving forward. This specific advertising pattern – removing him from the immediate upcoming shows but actively promoting him for the May 16th date – strongly suggests that the post-Backlash episode is earmarked for his comeback. Cody Rhodes looks on during the WWE Royal Rumble at Alamodome on January 28, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. Cody Rhodes looks on during the WWE Royal Rumble at Alamodome on January 28, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. Alex Bierens de Haan More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation His return is highly anticipated, not only because of his status as a top star but also due to the controversial circumstances of his WrestleMania loss, which involved interference from Travis Scott aligning with the now-heel John Cena, leaving fans wondering how Rhodes will react to being "screwed over." As a result, anticipation is sky-high for what Rhodes will say and do upon his return. Many fans predict his immediate focus will be on reclaiming the Undisputed WWE Championship he lost to Cena. While the May 16th SmackDown appears to be the planned return date based on current advertising, fans are already thinking he will regain the title at SummerSlam in August. This would allow Cena to have a lengthy title reign as WWE Champion while also working with other stars. It would also give Rhodes some time off to spend with his family. CODY RHODES IS DEFINITELY GETTING HIS REMATCH AT SUMMERSLAM 👀 — FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) May 2, 2025 More WWE News: For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.
Time of India
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
‘I am speechless, out of words': Netizens react as John Cena wins 17th World Title with Travis Scott on his side
Credits: In a humongous twist of fate, Hollywood superstar and WWE stalwart John Cena defeated Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship to win his record 17th World Title in WWE. He dethroned Ric Flair to become the first person to hold 17 WWE World Titles. Along with that, the help he received from superstar Travis Scott made it even more special and newsworthy. Now, fans and netizens across the world have given their reactions and responses to this enormous moment. Cena won the Championship in typical villainous manner as he first tried to use the Championship belt to hit Cody, which was beautifully encountered by the 'American Nightmare'. After which John was seen begging Cody to not hit him with the Title and spare him. Cody being the nice person that he is, did not hit him with the title and spread Cena. Little did he know that Cena's intentions were so cruel that he hit Rhodes with a low blow and then hit Cody with the WWE Title on the head to secure a notorious victory to get his 17th World Championship. Here are some of the best reactions from the fans on Cena winning his 17 world title with Travis Scott alongside. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo An 'X' user named @Aishfighter showered huge praise on his childhood hero John Cena on 'X'. He was freaking proud of his 'Goat' and was speechless. He went on to claim that he is still entertaining everyone and thanked John for the 17th World Title. Another fan named Tarun Kasana was left disappointed as he thought the match could have been better. According to him 'It felt decent, but it had the potential to be more exciting'. The same reaction was seen by a major chunk of fans as they wished for something even more exciting from the World Title match. International cricket umpire Richard Kettleborough tweeted the video of Cena winning his 17th World Title with the caption- 'Ladies and gentlemen, please stand up and admire your new Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion #JohnCena'. X user @awesomedudeguy7 was over the moon with the victory secured by the 'Champ' and showed a lot of love to Cena and Travis Scott. He claimed Cena to be the Goat as well. Another fan who claimed Cena to be the 'Goat' and a freak, was super happy with the victory for Cena. He was also of the opinion that the crowd was behind Cena 1000%.
Forbes
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
WWE WrestleMania 41: Rusev Returns And 5 Bold Predictions
Rusev is rumored to return at WrestleMania 41 Credit: WWE WrestleMania 41 airs live from Las Vegas starting with Night 1 tonight. Amid a polarizing build that was always destined to receive criticism when compared to WWE's flawless storytelling from last year, the WrestleMania 41 card is still set up for several possibles surprises, returns and even heel turns. Kevin Owens, Randy Orton's original WrestleMania opponent, unfortunately went down with a neck injury. This left an opening that has now become one of the most intriguing mysteries of WrestleMania season, with many speculating that it could be WWE GM Nick Aldis. But with WWE leaving Orton's mystery opponent to the wild imagination of its ambitious fanbase, this open challenge almost has to be bigger than any full-time star on the roster. That's why it (almost) has to be Rusev. If WWE was to replace Owens with a familiar face like Sami Zayn or Aldis, I feel like this would have been announced on television so as not to allow fan anticipation to get out of control. With Orton only announcing an open challenge, Orton's mystery opponent is now built solely around anticipation. WWE aired a vignette for April 25, 2025, and many have speculated it to be the return of Aleister Black. Rusev has reportedly re-signed with WWE, and since Easter Sunday also happens to fall on Rusev Day, there's no better time for a Rusev resurfacing than this weekend. Bianca Belair has done nothing wrong. Bianca Belair earned her way into WrestleMania 41 by winning a hard-fought Elimination Chamber Match. She was partisan in her support for both Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley ahead of Ripley's shocking loss to Sky on Raw. Despite Ripley failing to regain her world championship match, Rhea insisted on sticking around a match she had no business competing in. Rhea even absconded with a contract that did not have her name on it like a shady politician trying to overturn an election. Rhea got her wish, and fans cheered the Australian superstar all along the way, most notably for an entire month in Europe. The 30-day rule mandates that it takes 30 days to form a habit. Form Friday, March 14 to Monday, March 31, WWE aired six television broadcasts in Europe. While this only spanned over the course of 16 days, the six broadcasts were more than enough time for fans worldwide to become accustomed to Belair being booed for no reason. Bianca's unearned heat carried into the states, similar to European-flavored chants ("Cody Rhodes! Cody, Cody Rhodes!") that had only been performed overseas. Belair seems to have subtly leaned into her unprecedented turn by wearing black during recent shows. The Bianca boo-birds reached a fever pitch this past Friday on SmackDown when they booed her before she could even say a word. Fans even booed Bianca over Naomi, who is one of the biggest heels in all of WWE. With her WrestleMania undefeated streak in as much danger as ever, Belair may get desperate to keep this streak intact. A heel turn cannot be too far behind. John Cena's heel turn has not been perfect. After two decades of fantasy booking, expectations were sky high when Cena finally pulled the trigger at Elimination Chamber. Cena's shocking low-blow on Cody Rhodes resulted in one of the greatest turns of all time, but the follow-up has been a mixed bag. Cena has done a masterful job articulating his (kayfabe) disdain for fans. Cena's most recent SmackDown promo about his own peers who couldn't let go of the wrestling business was poignant and well-done. But the absence of The Rock—the catalyst of this entire turn—throughout the entire build of WrestleMania, mixed with the sporadic appearances from Cena, hurt the storytelling of what could have been a deeply complex villain. Cena seldom addressed why he specifically sold his soul for The Rock, and the possible 'Illuminati Trio' of Cena, The Rock and Travis Scott disappeared into thin air after March 1. Questionable storytelling aside, one of John Cena's most effective lines has been his vow to become the 'last real world champion,' while threatening to leave the promotion with the WWE Championship upon retirement. This in and of itself will add more layers to the John Cena character. Cody Rhodes has gotten the better of Heel John Cena in both of their physical exchanges. With Cena on his retirement tour, WrestleMania is the only stage for the legend to break Ric Flair's record at the expense of Cody Rhodes. Last year's GOAT'd WrestleMania main event featured a wild ending where wrestlers from WWE's past, present and future hit the ring like the final scene of an Avengers movie. When the dust cleared, Cody Rhodes stuck Seth Rollins with a Cross Rhodes and won his first WWE Championship in the most emotionally satisfying finish in WrestleMania history. I expect a similar scene for Rhodes vs. Cena, except this time, Rhodes won't have the same luck. Bret 'the Hitman' Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker are all in town as they made appearances in WWE's marathon Hall of Fame last night. Nobody knows what's going on with The Rock, but an appearance from the People's Champion would be fitting, if not necessary, for the WrestleMania Sunday main event. This sets the stage for The Rock to take the first Stunner from Stone Cold Steve Austin since WrestleMania 19. If WWE goes off the air with the bad guys riding off into the sunset, doing so with some comfort food from the Attitude Era would soften the blow. The WrestleMania Saturday main event once revolved around whether or not Paul Heyman was loyal to Roman Reigns or CM Punk. CM Punk is Paul's best friend. But Paul is also Roman Reigns' wiseman. Tensions exploded when Heyman revealed he'd be walking CM Punk to the ring as a favor he owed to the Second-City Saint. This bromance of a love triangle has since become messy. But I feel it's a misdirection for the actual finish when Paul Heyman helps Seth Rollins win, thereby becoming the Visionary's Visionary. Heyman has made a career betraying his clients from Brock Lesnar (twice), to CM Punk. Roman is already claiming Heyman betrayed him, which makes a possible reunion with Reigns seem like a betrayal in and of itself because of how it would fracture Heyman's ties with Punk. But the most intriguing finish—and the most on-brand level of treachery from Heyman—would be Paul stabbing both Roman and Punk in the back for Rollins. Rollins has been the star of this entire storyline. Rollins has carried this blockbuster Triple Threat Match with logically bulletproof promos. Despite being a top star near the level of Punk and Reigns, Rollins is a level below these two all-time greats. Not only would Rollins benefit from a win the most, doing so with the help of Paul Heyman would make for the biggest WrestleMania moment.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Knoxville to host WWE Smackdown in May featuring Tiffany Stratton, Cody Rhodes
KNOXVILLE, Tenn (WATE) — 'It's Tiffy Time' in Knoxville on May 30 when WWE Friday Night Smackdown comes to town at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Several wrestlers will be featured including WWE Champion The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes, The Queen Charlotte Flair, Drew McIntrye, LA Knight, WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton and Kevin Owens. The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. on May 30. Josh Dobbs delivers Girl Scout cookies to East Tennessee Children's Hospital patients in annual tradition Tickets will go on sale Friday, March 7 at 10 a.m. on The pre-sale begins on Wednesday, March 5 at 10 a.m. and people can resgister for pre-sale opportunities on Knoxville's Smackdown is one of 12 events annouced as part of the company's 2025 touring schedule. Other shows will be held at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky on June 16, First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina on May 16 and KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky on May 12. Swift actions of TWRA officer credited with saving two from Blount County dam Thompson-Boling Arena has become a destination for major events since the University of Tennessee began selling alcohol at campus venues in 2019. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Arriba!': WWE Hall of Famer Tito Santana announced for South Milwaukee's 2025 Crusherfest
Crusherfest is slamming back into South Milwaukee's downtown this year and the pro-wrestling-centric festival has announced its first guest. WWE Hall of Famer Tito Santana will be at the biannual event, which happens the weekend of May 31-June 1, according to a Feb. 10 post on the festival's official Facebook page. Santana will appear from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 31, in the wrestling tent offering autographs and photo opportunities. Meet and greet admission is free. Santana recently appeared on WWE television as a guest on Saturday Night's Main Event in December. Crusherfest launched in 2019 with the unveiling of a life-sized bronze statue of South Milwaukee's own Reggie 'Da Crusher' Lisowski following a $40,000 GoFundMe campaign to create it. Lisowski wrestled professionally for over 40 years, winning the AWA Heavyweight Championship three times and the AWA Tag Team Championships with Dick the Bruiser five times. Lisowski died of a brain tumor in 2005 at the age of 79. The event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned in fall 2021 but was canceled again the following year while the Bucyrus Commons plaza was under construction. The festival last happened in June 2023. In February 2024, it was announced the festival would remain biannual with Crusherfest Chairperson Peggy Clark noting at the time it had always been done that way and 'it seemed like it's working.' Clark noted planning was a lot of work and the event cost a lot of money to pay for talent, saying the longer time period between events could allow additional time to fundraise and 'maybe bring even bigger talent in.' Crusherfest has hosted many well-known names in pro-wrestling including 'Cowboy' Bob Orton, 'The Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase, Eric Bischoff, Medusa and Marty Jannetty. Santana is a former Intercontinental Champion, World Tag Team Champion, and 2004 WWE Hall of Fame inductee, according to Known for his fist-pumping "Arriba!" chant (which means "upward" or "higher" in English, according to Merriam-Webster), he wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment), the American Wrestling Association, Georgia Championship Wrestling, and other promotions. Competing from the late 1970s into the '90s, Santana had many memorable moments, including ending the yearlong title reign of Don Muraco. On his official website, Santana notes he and Hulk Hogan are the only two individuals to compete at the first nine Wrestlemania events. While the guests are certainly a highlight, high-flying wrestling, polka music and sausage are also featured prominently at Crusherfest. Polka music fills the air as people peruse various vendors, participate in the Mr. Saloon competition featuring the Crusher pose, keg holding, sausage eating and a beer drinking contest where the winner is rewarded a belt ― just like in pro-wrestling. As Da Crusher would say, 'How 'bout dat!?' Contact Erik S. Hanley at Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tito Santana to appear at Crusherfest in South Milwaukee May 31
