"He's earned that" - Cody Rhodes praises 39-year-old star for his connection with fans following WWE Fastlane

Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso shocked the WWE Universe by winning the Undisputed Tag Team Championship at Fastlane 2023.

The duo battled The Judgment Day's Damian Priest and Finn Balor in the first match of the premium live event in Indianapolis. JD McDonagh attempted to interfere in the bout, but it backfired. He accidentally hit Priest in the knee with the Money in the Bank briefcase, and The American Nightmare planted Finn Balor with the Cross Rhodes in the middle of the ring to win the title.

At the press conference following WWE Fastlane, Cody Rhodes commented on Sami Zayn's popularity leading up to WrestleMania 39. The 39-year-old lost his title bout against Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber 2023, and Rhodes fell short in his match against The Tribal Chief at WrestleMania 39.

The American Nightmare noted that Zayn's popularity was earned, and he welcomed everyone shining in the company.

"Okay, last year, going into WrestleMania, there was this really strange discussion about 'Oh my gosh, Sami Zayn is so hot, what do we do?' What do we do? That's amazing. He's earned that. He has equity, he has grown, he has connected to the audience, he's connected with you. So, as someone who is trying to be the quarterback, as someone who is trying to be the lead dog, nothing could excite me more than others who also, well, he might be the quarterback. He might be the lead dog. We're talking Seth Rollins, Main Event Jey Uso, LA Knight, I welcome it all," said Cody Rhodes. [33:00 - 33:46]

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Cody Rhodes on being a part of the 'most successful era' of WWE

Cody Rhodes returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 and has become one of the most popular superstars in the company.

WWE is having a ton of success at the moment, and the pro wrestling world is very invested in their product. During the press conference following Fastlane, Rhodes said it is a privilege to be in the promotion's 'most successful era' and highlighted the crowd's reaction to Jey Uso at the premium live event.

"Let's go, let's do this together. Again, we have the privilege of saying this is the most successful era in the history of WWE. This is the same company that had the Attitude Era, but it's us. So I welcome it all, and seeing him go out there tonight [Jey Uso], seeing his entrance the first thing on the show, seeing people responding to him, what it does when you come out is it makes me go, 'We got it.'" [33:47 - 34:15]

Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso are an unlikely duo, given their history with The Bloodline. It will be fascinating to see how long Rhodes and Jey can hold onto the title moving forward on WWE RAW.

What was your favorite moment from Fastlane? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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