Cody Rhodes recently underwent surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, and it sounds like WWE will have big plans for him once he returns. There’s no clear timetable for Rhodes’ return from that torn pec, and a rash of injuries has forced the company to call several audibles for summer plans otherwise.
The American Nightmare seemed to be in line for a possible date against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 prior to his injury, which still could be on the table depending on how long his rehabilitation takes. Six months is generally how long wrestlers miss due to this injury, which places Rhodes’ possible return date around the pivotal Royal Rumble premium live event. His performance at Hell In A Cell was remarkable for a handful of reasons, and the match was always going to propel him to a new height in the company. It’s just been a question of just how much of a boost Rhodes received in the eyes of WWE bookers.
WWE doesn’t always capitalize on the momentum it didn’t create on purpose, but it sounds like Rhodes will be treated like an even bigger deal than he was when he returns to action. This is according to the most recent edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. “There is at least talk right now of giving him the HHH [sic] 2001/2002 treatment where his return is built up to be a huge deal,” longtime insider Dave Meltzer wrote.
That run was career-defining for Triple H as a singles star. The ovation he received from the Madison Square Garden crowd is one of the biggest in WWE history. A big reason for that is WWE did a good job communicating to fans just how hard returning from a torn quad was, even for an athlete of Triple H’s caliber. He left as one of the biggest heels in the business but was given a hero’s return in New York. It’s been reported that WWE was on hand with cameras for Rhodes’ procedure to repair his torn pectoral muscle, indicating that they might build his return up in a similar way.
Upon returning, Triple H punched his ticket to WrestleMania 18 by winning the Royal Rumble. From there, he’d go on to beat Chris Jericho to become the Undisputed WWE Champion. Meltzer seems to be indicating that WWE could be using this roadmap upon bringing Rhodes back to television. The Royal Rumble generally takes place in January. In this case, that’d be nearly six months between when Cody underwent his surgery and the event itself. The Royal Rumble isn’t a traditional wrestling match, so even if Rhodes isn’t quite 100 percent by then, he could still feasibly win the match and cut promos for several weeks before wrestling again.
