Cody Rhodes beats 30-year-old star for the 8th time in 330 days after SmackDown goes off the air

Cody Rhodes was advertised for SmackDown this week, but of course, he didn't actually appear on the show. Instead, he wrestled in the post-show dark match, where he won against a 30-year-old star for the 8th time in 330 days.

In the post-SmackDown dark match, Cody Rhodes faced a familiar old foe in Carmelo Hayes, who he first faced on the WWE Draft 2024 edition of SmackDown. Since then, they've faced off multiple times, mostly in dark matches, and the results have all been the same.

Unfortunately, we couldn't come across any footage of the dark match in Bologna, but Cody Rhodes defeated Carmelo Hayes for the eighth time in nearly 330 days after SmackDown went off the air.

The outcome is not exactly surprising. What fans are highly excited about is the second confrontation between Cody and John Cena on WWE RAW next week. Many were surprised by Cody's unwillingness to engage in a brawl with Cena after the vicious assault at the 2025 Elimination Chamber.

The last time that Cody and Carmelo Hayes met was on RAW in February. The former NXT Champion got a taste of his own medicine.

Cody's presence was likely the cherry on the top for the incredible Italian crowd, who were loud and boisterous the entire night.