After Cody Rhodes' gutsy performance at Hell in a Cell, Rikishi believes the 36-year-old's WWE future looks bright. Roman Reigns' legendary cousin made a noteworthy prediction as well.
Earlier this month, Rhodes fought through a legitimately torn pectoral muscle and defeated Seth Rollins inside the hellacious structure. Before his unexpected injury, The American Nightmare seemed to be a likely contender for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, held by Rikishi's cousin, Roman Reigns.
Speaking on Sony Sports Network's Extraaa Dhamaal show, Rikishi mentioned that Rhodes can still achieve his world title goal somewhere down the road:
"Once he gets this injury fixed, I'm sure he's gonna work twice as hard to be able to come back in full effect. The future looks bright. I see Cody Rhodes somewhere down the line in the future as the heavyweight champion there, you know? The champion, period."
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
While Rhodes' mindset of winning WWE's top title is pretty evident, it should be interesting to see whether he dethrones Roman Reigns or someone else to fulfill that prophecy.
A lot could happen before Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes becomes a reality
On the RAW episode after Hell in a Cell, Rhodes was written off television due to a sneak attack from Seth Rollins. It remains unclear if their feud will continue once The American Nightmare returns to action.
WWE's injury update suggests that he cannot compete for nine months, so a potential showdown against Reigns might not happen anytime soon. Meanwhile, The Tribal Chief is set to defend his gold against Riddle on the upcoming episode of SmackDown.
If Reigns retains his title, speculation suggests that stars like Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, and Randy Orton could step up for a world championship opportunity next. These men are capable enough to dethrone The Bloodline leader before Rhodes gets his eventual shot.
Regardless of what the WWE landscape may look like several months from now, the former AEW star's clash against Reigns could attract a lot of eyeballs with or without a title on the line.
Please credit Extraaa Dhamaal and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use quotes from this article.