Cody Rhodes needs to face former AEW star for the WWE Title soon, says veteran (Exclusive)

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes became the first major star to join WWE after leaving AEW. Many talents from All Elite Wrestling then followed suit and joined the Stamford-based promotion, including CM Punk, Penta, Rey Fenix, Jade Cargill, and Blake Monroe, among others.

Since returning to the company, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes haven't faced each other in singles action. Veteran journalist Bill Apter recently said that the two former AEW stars should face each other for the world title in WWE soon. The only time they interacted with each other in the ring was during the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble Match, where they were the final two contestants.

During the latest episode of Legion of RAW on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Apter said that fans had been clamoring for this match since the duo were in AEW. He felt that it was a bout that would excite viewers. Apter was surprised that a showdown between the two hadn't been teased yet.

"In AEW, the match that the fans craved was Cody Rhodes against CM Punk. I thought, when Punk was talking about Cody, that he was gonna go and say that he would challenge the winner of maybe the Seth Rollins-Cody match. Just blatantly somehow give a thought about 'I'd like to wrestle Cody down the road,' which I think would be absolutely something the fans would be blown away with, that match. Why are they not even teasing anything like that at this point?" Apter said.

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Cody Rhodes currently has his eyes set on Punk's longtime rival, Seth Rollins. The two world champions are set to face each other at this weekend's WWE Crown Jewel for the Men's Crown Jewel Championship. Cody Rhodes beat Gunter to win the gold at last year's event.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Faiz Ahmed