Cody Rhodes surprised he didn't face former champion during their run in AEW after facing off at WWE Royal Rumble

WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes took another step at the 2024 Royal Rumble towards finishing his story by winning the Men's Royal Rumble Match for the second year in a row. The American Nightmare won the match by eventually eliminating another former AEW star in CM Punk.

The two superstars were massive favorites to win the Rumble match, so it was no surprise that it was these two who were present till the end. Both superstars used to work with AEW before leaving under different circumstances. While Cody made his way back to WWE a couple of years ago, Punk made his epic return to the Stamford-based company after leaving the Jacksonville-based promotion in a controversial manner.

During the Royal Rumble Post-Show Press Conference, The American Nightmare was asked how surreal it was to be across from Punk in a WWE ring after being in another company at the same time. While Rhodes acknowledged it was surprising they did not cross paths in AEW, he also pointed out that their experiences in the Jacksonville-based company were vastly different.

"It's funny that we meet back here, really. When we were at AEW, I thought we'd encounter one another there and it didn't happen for whatever reason, it didn't happen. But, I think both him and I had different personal experiences," Cody Rhodes said. [23:37 - 23:59]

You can check out the Post-Show Press Conference below:

With his massive win on Saturday, Cody Rhodes looks set to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania for a second year in a row. The American Nightmare will be hoping he can go one step further this time and finish his story.

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If you use any quotes from this article, please credit WWE and add an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.