The Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes faced a tough fight from up-and-comer Carmelo Hayes in the main event of last night's SmackDown.
Rhodes was announcing the first-round draft picks with Triple H on SmackDown when Hayes showed up to the blue brand. He was one of the early draft picks for the blue brand. Carmelo told The American Nightmare that he wanted to prove himself and there was no better way to do it than go up against the champ. The former AEW star accepted the challenge, setting up the main event for the show.
During the match, however, Cody Rhodes took a scary bump when he went for the Cody Cutter but hit the ring and landed awkwardly on his shoulder. Fightful Select reached out to the champ to see if he was doing okay.
Rhodes reportedly responded by saying "Always." That was not a definite answer from the champ but he didn't share anything more.
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Rhodes also had an autograph signing at Kroger in Newport, Kentucky this Friday. The event saw thousands show up and the line had to be stopped.
Cody Rhodes signed the contract for his Backlash match
This week on SmackDown, Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles kicked off the show for the contract signing of their match at Backlash.
The two stars got in the sign and put pen to paper, making their match official. They exchanged some warm words before signing the contract. Styles said that he had a lot of respect for Cody and his dad. However, The Phenomenal One claimed that he would put Rhodes to the test during their bout.
The champ also reciprocated Styles' respect and spoke about how they had journeyed parallel paths to get to the WWE. Rhodes declared that all respect would be put aside during the bout. He termed it as a must-win match for him.
It will be interesting to see if The American Nightmare will be in ring shape for his match against Styles at Backlash France.