First-time WWE opponents for Cody Rhodes: Who will the American Nightmare face off against ahead of his retirement?

WWE

Following Cody Rhodes’ recent comments, there has been a lot of speculation about the former Undisputed WWE Champion’s in-ring future, ahead of his retirement.

The American Nightmare recently indicated that he will step away from the ring for good within the next six years, telling WrestleTalk’s Luke Owen that he won’t be “falling down for a living” when his daughter is 11 years old.

While Rhodes stated that his retirement “probably will happen sooner than later“, there are still numerous stars in the company who he could share the ring with for the first time ever in singles competition.

From rising stars to those who he has somehow missed the opportunity to face off against, these wrestlers could be interesting opponents for the American Nightmare, giving Rhodes something new to do while preparing for the end of his career.

Here are three potential first-time singles opponents for Cody Rhodes in WWE.

Trick Williams

Trick Williams would be an interesting opponent for Cody Rhodes, given the gold currently around Williams’ waist.

While Williams and Rhodes both competed in the 2026 Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber matches, the duo have never met in one-on-one competition.

What makes this bout an intriguing prospect is the fact that Trick Williams currently holds the United States Championship, the final championship Cody Rhodes would need to win to become a Grand Slam champion.

With Williams quickly rising through the ranks on SmackDown, this is a singles match we could see sooner rather than later.

Je’Von Evans

Je’Von Evans interestingly also competed in this year’s Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber matches, but has yet to face off against Cody Rhodes in traditional singles competition.

With Evans “locked in and focused” on breaking several championship records, we could see him have a run-in with a recent former Undisputed WWE Champion.

A Rhodes vs Evans bout would give the 22-year old a chance to prove that he can hang in the main event scene, against one of the company’s top main eventers.

Danhausen

Danhausen falls into the rare category of former AEW stars in WWE who the American Nightmare has never shared the ring with.

Having not competed with or against Danhausen in any capacity, this would be a completely fresh match-up for Cody Rhodes, who left AEW to join WWE in 2022.

Since first showing up on WWE TV in February, Danhausen has gained a lot of popularity, mainly appearing in TV segments rather than matches.

Having only wrestled six televised matches for the company so far, Cody Rhodes could be the supernatural star’s opponent for his seventh in-ring outing on WWE TV.

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• wwe
• Cody Rhodes
• retirement

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