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Matt Cardona (formerly known as Zack Ryder in WWE) stated that Cody Rhodes' injury at the 2022 Hell in a Cell was a blessing in disguise for him. Because of this moment, The American Nightmare won everyone's hearts and became the ultimate babyface of WWE.
After six years, he returned to World Wrestling Entertainment in 2022 at WrestleMania 38 and jumped from rival company AEW. Rhodes' return to WWE was long-awaited, and he was introduced as Seth "Freakin" Rollins' mystery opponent at the Grandest Stage of them All.
An incredible rivalry was created between the Visionary and Cody Rhodes at the Hell in a Cell premium live event. At the Premium Live Event, the former TNT Champion, despite a torn pec injury, went on to face his challenger.
Former WWE Superstar Matt Cardona, was in conversation with Bill Apter at the Sportskeeda Wrestling Awards. He named Cody as the babyface of the year because of his two massive comebacks in 12 months.
"I'm going with Cody (Rhodes). I mean, he comes back at WrestleMania. Was it a surprise? Maybe not, but sometimes in wrestling, you need to give the fans what they want, and the fans knew he was coming, and they were happy for his return. And unfortunately, he went down and was sidelined at Hell in a Cell. But I think that was almost a blessing in disguise because this man had two comebacks in one calendar year," Cardona said. [7:57 - 8:19]
Check out the full video below:
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Matt Cardona stated fans make Cody Rhodes the babyface of the year
Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes battled each other in a three-part match. After WrestleMania 38, The Visionary and The American Nightmare faced each other at WrestleMania BackLash and Hell in a Cell. The latter had triumphant victories over the former WWE champion in all three bouts.
Following Hell in a Cell, the former AEW star once again went on a hiatus due to an injury. However, Cody returned to the 2023 Royal Rumble to finish his "story" and punched his ticket to WrestleMania 39 by winning the rumble.
During the same conversation on Sportskeeda Wrestling, Matt Cardona stated that fans are the real reason behind Rhodes being the ultimate babyface of the year.
"You know, he comes back at WrestleMania, comes back at Royal Rumble, and now hopefully wins the big one and finishes the story at WrestleMania this year. So definitely, Cody and the fans are behind it. You can't deny that; the merchandise sales prove that, and the crowd response proves that. So I'm proud of Cody," he added. [8:20 - 8:38]
Cody Rhodes is now set to face Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania this year. It remains to be seen if Rhodes will finish his story by dethroning Reigns.
What did you think of Cardona's comments on Cody Rhodes being the babyface of the year? Sound off in the comments section below.
If you use the quotes from this article, please embed the YouTube video and add a H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcript.
Follow former WWE Superstar Matt Cardona here, and you can follow his action figure podcast here.
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