"Not too late to go back to AEW" - Fans erupt as Cody Rhodes' WrestleMania 40 dream ends after WWE legend's SmackDown return

Following the events that transpired in this week's episode of WWE SmackDown, some fans have brought up the idea of Cody Rhodes going back instead to AEW after his current booking suddenly made a major swerve.

Tonight, The American Nightmare was set to reveal who he would be challenging at WrestleMania 40 between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins after winning the Men's Royal Rumble Match once more this year. It seemed as if he was going to go for his rematch against The Tribal Chief, but the return of a WWE icon changed this.

Cody Rhodes said that he wanted the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship but revealed that this did not have to be at WrestleMania. The Rock then came in, seemingly confirming that he was interested in facing Roman Reigns. Rhodes then left the ring and left the two to have a staredown with one another.

Not many fans apparently approved the choice, as they felt that Cody had given in to The Rock. This then prompted some responses from fans saying that he should return to AEW instead, as it seemed like this was the second year in which he would not be able to 'finish his story' at The Grandest Stage of Them All. Some fans wished he never left in the first place.

It remains to be seen if this means that Rhodes will instead challenge Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40 now. At this point, this seems to be the direction, and in the end, the multiple messages from Rollins seemed to work.

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Seth Rollins had a message for Cody Rhodes ahead of WWE SmackDown tonight

Before his appearance on the blue brand tonight, Seth Rollins had a last-minute message for Cody Rhodes about his decision regarding his world title match opportunity.

Throughout this entire week, The Visionary has been trying to convince The American Nightmare to choose him and go after the World Heavyweight Title. In his message, he asked Rhodes an important question again, 'What kind of champion do you want to be?'

It remains to be seen how this will all end up by WrestleMania as nothing has been made official yet by WWE, but the previously speculated plans have suddenly taken a sharp turn.

How do you feel about these major changes? Let us know in the comments section below.