It seems “The American Nightmare” isn’t the only one who can throw shade.
Earlier this week, Cody Rhodes appeared to reference Roman Reigns as his greatest rival, without mentioning him by name. Now, Reigns is returning the favor.
On Instagram, Reigns posted a photo of himself with the cast of Street Fighter at The Game Awards. He tagged all his castmates except Rhodes, who stands shoulder to shoulder with Reigns, wearing a frown.
The latest dis between these WrestleMania rivals comes amid rumors of
a trilogy following their intense face-off at Survivor Series.
Earlier this week, the Undisputed WWE Champion spoke with actor and wrestling fan Timothée Chalamet on his podcast, What Do You Wanna Talk About? With Cody Rhodes. While explaining how pro wrestling is more real than people think, Rhodes said:
“I hate using him as an example, but my greatest rival in this company, I don’t even have to say his name, it’s as real as it could possibly get. You would like to be QB1, I would like to be QB1, it’s every piece of it. But it’s also when we get in there, that’s probably my favorite guy to make music with.”
Fueling the drama, Reigns’ former “Wiseman” Paul Heyman shared a 2023 Raw clip Friday on X, showing Cody Rhodes thanking him for helping his father, Dusty, during a family low. But Heyman’s pointed reply favored Reigns, whom Dusty helped guide early in his career:
“In my last conversation with your dad, he told me you, Cody, were his favorite son. But Roman Reigns was the son he always wanted.”
Whether Reigns and Rhodes actually dislike each other is irrelevant. What matters is that the tension feels real, adding intrigue to the match and heightening the promos — making every interaction more compelling.
If WWE is heading toward Reigns-Rhodes III at next year’s WrestleMania, fans could be in for their most decisive showdown yet. Unlike previous encounters that included loads of outside interference, this might finally be a one-on-one battle that settles once and for all who is the face of WWE.
