Fans have been clamouring to see Cody Rhodes vs John Cena for years, and after WrestleMania 39 could be the time we finally see this iconic match.
Cody Rhodes returned to the WWE last year, and immediately slotted in as the top babyface in the company. He won the 2023 Royal Rumble and is taking on Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
He is expected to win that match, but it is the post-Mania matchups that are of real interest. With Seth Rollins, Gunther and Logan Paul all theorized to be wrestling The American Nightmare, there is only one man that Cody Rhodes wants to face – John Cena.
Speaking with Stadium Astro, Cody Rhodes revealed that during the pairs segment together on WWE Raw last week, he asked John Cena to wrestle him. With Cena’s career winding down and him teasing retirement, it could be the last time he had the chance.
John Cena could not promise anything, not knowing what the future holds. However, with Cody discussing this on social media and in interviews, it could prompt Triple H to book the dream match between Cody Rhodes and John Cena in 2023.
“Actually, that was something he told me in the car when I was driving him around in 2008? 2009? What he said to me on Raw was I was telling him if he ever does another match, I would like it to be with him,” Rhodes stated. “I think you could hear him pretty well, he says, ‘I can’t promise that.’ But I also didn’t want to make it about myself at that moment. I just endlessly thanked him and then he was at the Nightmare Factory a week later talking to our students. It was something in the car that was just not like his axiom. It was a genuine way he approached live events and shows and rewarding their noise.”
Cody Rhodes on wrestling John Cena (Stadium Astro)
Cody Rhodes vs John Cena
In 2023, Cody Rhodes vs John Cena is a huge dream match. Since he left the company to form AEW in 2016, the son of the “American Dream” has come on leaps and bounds, putting on multiple 5-star matches that make him one of the best wrestlers in the world.
However, none of this means that we haven’t already seen John Cena wrestle Cody Rhodes, albeit in vastly different circumstances.
The pair have shared the ring multiple times before, mainly in tag team or multi-man matches. Cena teamed with Cody and Dustin Rhodes (as Goldust) on many occasions, taking on the Wyatt Family in the build up to his WrestleMania 30 bout with Bray Wyatt.
However, Cody Rhodes has wrestled John Cena three times in singles action. Unenviable for the American Nightmare, he has lost every singles match he has had against the 16 time world champion.
The first was in 2009, when John Cena beat Cody Rhodes by DQ, after interference from Legacy stopped the match in its tracks.
The next was the following year, where the two clashed for a spot inside the Elimination Chamber. Cena won again, but this time he won clean and with no interference.
The final one was in 2013, with Cody Rhodes looking to move into the main event scene for the first time in his career. However, this bout came just after John Cena had won the 2013 Royal Rumble, and was gearing up for a WrestleMania main event against The Rock.
This match lasted only two minutes and saw The Champ squash Rhodes in a two minute match.
John Cena is now a part-time WWE Superstar, and has not won a broadcasted singles match since his victory over Triple H at The Greatest Royal Rumble. This gives Cody Rhodes the best chance to beat him, with Cena no longer at the peak of his powers and the sands of time ticking down to the end of his career.
