Saturday night was huge for Cody Rhodes as he returned to the ring and won the 30 man Royal Rumble match. Rhodes had been out of action since June of 2022, but he showed no signs of ring rust during his first match back.
The American Nightmare recently spoke to Ryan Satin of Fox Sports about his big return and he noted that Sami Zayn gave him some words of encouragement ahead of the Royal Rumble match.
“It was really funny, Sami Zayn was one of the first people I talked to today, and I said, ‘I hope I remember how to do it.’ He said, ‘It’s like riding a bike.’ That’s real. Honestly, it’s like this muscle memory. It’s fun to do stuff that you haven’t done in seven months. Pushing off with the Cody Cutter, not sure your foot is there. The thing I missed the most is the thing that took me the longest to get. I love this audience. Some people think it’s try hard or fake emotions. This is a real story.
I don’t know how I stumbled onto this. I have the privilege and also the burden that I don’t play a character. I’m me. Me was enough tonight. I popped my eardrum, but I don’t care. Just a wonderful Royal Rumble. The Rhodes don’t have any frame of reference on going to WrestleMania in terms of going on last in a big spot. I’m proud to say I can be the one to do it. That’s the secret. The secret when you’re someone’s kid is you love them and all that, no kidding, but you want to be better than them. ‘Better than Dusty Rhodes, how could you ever be?’ I don’t know if that’s the case. If I see him again, I can say, ‘I did this.’ You feel complete.”
Sami Zayn also had a big night on Saturday as he accompanied Roman Reigns to the ring for the main event. Zayn ended up turning on Roman Reigns after the match when Reigns tried to force Sami to hit Kevin Owens with a chair, but Sami refused. Judging from last night it seems that Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes will both be key players throughout WrestleMania season this year.
“The Biggest Night of My Career!”
Exclusive Interview with the Men's #RoyalRumble Winner @CodyRhodes @RyanSatin pic.twitter.com/O0ehktIHdm
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) January 29, 2023
H/T Fightful