Cody Rhodes WWE retirement plans: The American Nightmare’s hopes for his final run in wrestling

WWE

WWE star Cody Rhodes recently commented on plans for his wrestling retirement, fuelling rumors about his in-ring future.

While speaking with WrestleTalk’s Luke Owen, Rhodes stated that he learned “a lot” from watching John Cena’s retirement tour play out, and that his own retirement “probably will happen sooner than later”.

Indicating that he plans to step away from the ring within the next six years, Rhodes added:

“When my daughter is 11 years old, I’m not going to be falling down for a living anymore. One of the things that I really enjoyed about how John did it is the finality he brought to it.

“‘I have given you everything. This is all I have, anything else wouldn’t be right.’ When John says he will never wrestle again, he really means it, that finality was beautiful.”

Highlighting John Cena, AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar’s final months in wrestling, Rhodes also stated that he hopes he won’t be afraid to take risks on rising stars on his way out, noting:

“I hope I’m not afraid to take a risk, to take a gamble. ‘Hey, he’s doing alright, let’s do that one.’ The model (John Cena) set was not only sure bets or guarantees – there never really is – but guys he could be pretty confident could take the torch and carry the flame, but also a few in there where… ‘Let’s see.'”

Rhodes’ comments make it clear that he also wants a definitive final run, with a mix of matches against stars he has history with, as well as potential main eventers.

So, who could Cody Rhodes face in his final run in pro-wrestling?

Roman Reigns

Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns both have one win over the other in WrestleMania main events, with the OTC retaining the WWE Undisputed Universal Champion at WrestleMania 39, and the American Nightmare ending the champion’s 1316 day reign one year later.

With both Rhodes and Reigns teasing a rubber match, it’d be a fitting conclusion to either stars’ career if the night ended with them leaving their boots in the ring.

Roman Reigns is preparing for retirement himself, recently telling Complex that he has “a couple to a few years” of tying up loose ends and “logic gaps” before he steps away from the ring for good.

Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins was notably Cody Rhodes’ first opponent following his return to WWE, with the American Nightmare making a “surprise” entrance for this match at WrestleMania 38.

While the duo shared the ring as teammates at WrestleMania 40, their most recent encounter was against one another, with Rollins defeating Rhodes to become Crown Jewel Champion in October 2025.

With Cody Rhodes’ father, Dusty Rhodes, having a lot of influence on Seth Rollins’ career as a trainer in NXT, Rhodes and Rollins will always feel connected, so this would be a fitting final match for either competitor once again.

Ricky Saints

Cody Rhodes explicitly stated that he’d love to take “risks” and share the ring with rising stars as he prepares to step away from the ring.

While a lot can happen in six years, one star would we could see Rhodes help to propel to the main event scene is Ricky Saints.

The former “Ricky Starks” had a star-making performance against Cody on the June 11, 2020 Dynamite episode, with the duo meeting in a one-on-one rematch on the May 1 SmackDown episode.

With Ricky Saints previously commenting on his in-ring history with his real-life friend, it’d feel like a full-circle moment for Rhodes to pass the torch to Saints during his retirement tour.

Je’Von Evans

Je’Von Evans has established himself as one of WWE’s most exciting names since his main roster call-up at the beginning of the year.

With Evans on the cusp of breaking several championship records, he could be a star who Rhodes singles out as the future of WWE.

With the likes of Oba Femi and Bron Breakker already firmly viewed as future main eventers, the American Nightmare could help to cement Je’Von Evans position at the top of the card.

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• wwe
• Cody Rhodes
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