Which NXT stars were pivotal to Cody Rhodes' WWE return earlier this year? Know the story

Modified Nov 01, 2023 09:00 GMT

Cody Rhodes trains for his WWE return in the lead-up to Royal Rumble 2023.

Cody Rhodes made a rare appearance on WWE NXT in October. The American Nightmare served as the Special Guest General Manager of the white and gold brand. It is worth noting that this wasn’t the only time he had shown up at the Performance Center this year.

For those who may not know, Cody Rhodes suffered a nasty injury in the lead-up to Hell in a Cell last year. The American Nightmare took a break from in-ring competition following his five-star classic against Seth Rollins at the June 5 Premium Live Event.

The former Intercontinental Champion asked for two NXT stars to help him train for his in-ring return. The stars in question are Carmelo Hayes and Joe Gacy.

Watch the video below:

Carmelo Hayes recently opened up about his experience sharing the ring with Rhodes during an appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet. The former NXT Champion said it was a huge honor and that he felt like the RAW superstar was helping him instead of the other way around.

"It was a huge honor. And like I said in his documentary, I didn't feel like I was helping him. I felt like he was helping me. He was fine. He was chilling but I was like, Oh my god. This is how these guys do it. This is such a difference when you get in there with guys like that. Is such a difference like you like oh, this is that pacing this is that you know I mean, this is that energy. This is where you turn it up here. Like I learned a lot with Cody. I really did," said Hayes.

When is Cody Rhodes’ next televised match?

Cody Rhodes is set to take on Damian Priest of The Judgment Day at Crown Jewel this Saturday. Rhodes and Jey Uso had won the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship from Priest and Finn Balor at WWE Fastlane 2023 but dropped it to the heel tag team just a week later.

The Archer of Infamy was also responsible for injuring the American Nightmare’s ankle two weeks ago on RAW. Rhodes got his revenge when he showed up last night on the red brand to take out The Judgment Day.