Cody Rhodes teases dream match, says WWE's success could entice a 17-time champion to return

After his coronation as the face of WWE at WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes is looking forward to having a strong reign as the undisputed champion. During a recent interview, Cody was asked about a potential singles showdown against The Rock, and he said it could happen in the future.

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson entered WWE's hottest storyline in years on the road to WrestleMania and, as part of The Bloodline, attempted to stop Cody Rhodes from winning the world title.

Rock was one of Rhodes' biggest adversaries who he overcame to have one of the best feel-good moments in 'Mania history. With The Rock back focussing on his Hollywood commitments, Cody Rhodes was asked on Good Morning Britain about a clash against the Final Boss.

The American Nightmare stated that The Rock's comeback would depend on his performance as the world champion.

"I want to say yes. I think it will really come down to, can I be a good champion? Not even a great champion. Roman Reigns was a great champion. Would that be enough to entice The Rock? Because that's what's happened here. The Rock would tell you he made wrestling cool again." [7:07 - 7:28]

While The Rock brought more eyes to the WWE product during WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes believed that wrestling was seemingly cool again due to the performers of the new era.

Cody named Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, and Rhea Ripley among the stars who have actively helped expand the WWE's reach in recent years.

At the end of the day, WWE's success could "lure" Rock to return and possibly have that dream singles match against him, as Rhodes added:

"Rock made wrestling cool, maybe in the first place, but this run, it's a whole new generation, a whole new locker room. Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, myself, Rhea Ripley, all these people. I think the more we keep this, the better we do, and the more chances it lures Rock back into the fray." [7:29 - 7:45]

Cody Rhodes' first WWE PLE title defense will be a first-time-ever showdown

As noted above, Cody Rhodes has a daunting task ahead of himself as he has to follow up on Roman Reigns' historic title reign.

Rhodes will defend the championship at Backlash in France, and two top stars have emerged for the #1 contender's spot. The winner of AJ Styles and LA Knight's SmackDown match will face Rhodes for the title on May 4th, and interestingly enough, none of them have had singles bouts against the American Nightmare.

WWE is setting up a fresh opponent for Cody's first feud as champion, and everyone, including the former AEW star himself, would be hoping he starts his reign in an impactful way.