46-year-old WWE legend could win the Royal Rumble & face Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania, says veteran Bill Apter

Cody Rhodes is expected to enter WrestleMania 41 as the Undisputed WWE Champion despite his ladder match against Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble 2025. Wrestling veteran Bill Apter says that a 46-year-old legend could be the new favorite to face Rhodes after possibly winning the Rumble.

The go-home episode of RAW featured a similar moment to exactly one year prior: Cody and CM Punk got into the ring together. While that meeting in 2024 was awkward, this one was an excellent back-and-forth, with Cody holding his own on the microphone.

Wrestling veteran Bill Apter thinks that CM Punk could be the one to win the Royal Rumble and face Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. He also acknowledged the possibility of The Rock vs Cody:

"Something we never saw in AEW. The dynamic between Cody Rhodes and CM Punk. It was incredible. I don't know if they would've had that same dynamic in AEW. Just the way WWE planted this, it was just perfect. Now people are going to think that Punk is going to win the Royal Rumble. think that this is really good for business. There are so many people trying to go after Cody, but after this promo, most people are going to pick CM Punk to go up against Cody. Of course, that would be fabulous. Again, there's also the possibility of Cody Rhodes vs The Rock, as John Cena's father told me," Apter said.

Apter added that, with this tease, Cody vs. Punk is a match that simply has to happen later.

It's going to be interesting to see who the final four superstars in the Royal Rumble are. There are so many big names, including CM Punk, that it's hard to imagine him as a lock to win the entire thing.

However, if he does win the Royal Rumble, then we know who he will be targeting.

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