Cody Rhodes returning at SNME to cost John Cena will not happen, believes veteran (Exclusive)

Former WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has been absent from WWE programming since losing his title at WrestleMania. The American Nightmare lost his championship to John Cena with help from American rapper Travis Scott, leading Cena to win his 17th world title.

Since winning the title, Cena faced his long-time rival and Cody's former mentor, Randy Orton, at Backlash, where he retained using underhanded tactics as well. He's now set to face R-Truth in a non-title match at Saturday Night's Main Event, and many are speculating that the former champion would appear on the show.

Speaking on BroDown on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, former WWE head writer Vince Russo shared his thoughts on Cody Rhodes' potential appearance. He feels that John Cena vs. R-Truth needs to go last if Rhodes has to return, but he doesn't see that happening.

"The only way you'll see him involved is if they put Cena out on at the end. I can't see them putting that match on the end. That's not a main event. But if they put him on the end and he's getting the heat, and Cody makes a save at the end of the show, that's the only thing that they could do. But I can't see them putting that match on last," Russo said. [From 36:55 onwards]

Fans have been clamouring for Cody Rhodes to return to TV ever since his title loss. Multiple reports on The American Nightmare's return in the past few weeks have surfaced, but they haven't yet come to fruition.

Only time will tell if Cody returns during Saturday Night's Main Event, but if he does, that will be one way to blow the roof off of Yuengling Center.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Angana Roy