CODY RHODES EXPLAINS WHY HE REFUSES TO TAKE EXTENDED BREAKS FROM WWE

 

Photo Credit: WWE

Cody Rhodes has opened up about why he continues to remain a constant presence on WWE television, even as several top stars opt for extended breaks to recover, reset, or pursue projects outside the ring.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, the WWE Champion addressed the growing conversation around whether he should step away for a while.

While acknowledging that many people have advised him to take time off, the Undisputed WWE Champion made it clear that he sees his role differently.

Cody Rhodes says WWE needs someone who is always there

Rhodes explained that he has no issue with wrestlers taking breaks and understands the benefits that come with stepping away.

“I think it’s safe to say from the outside, Cody should take a break. It’s been advised across the board, but also… there are guys who do take breaks, and I’m not mad at anyone who takes breaks,” Rhodes said.

He continued by outlining why those absences can be valuable.

“They get to go and get in incredible shape, or do a project, get healthy, whatever the heck it is that they’re doing. They get to do that, and they come back and they’re fresh, and they get that big reaction on the first night. But then it settles back into what it was.”

Rhodes then revealed that advice from Bobby Roode helped shape his mindset toward consistency.

“If others are doing that… well then it’s my job to be the guy who’s always here. Then it’s my job to be the one who doesn’t leave you.”

The comments arrive at a time when CM Punk has undertaken a planned hiatus from WWE programming following his World Heavyweight Championship loss to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42. During his absence, Punk’s viral body transformation has drawn significant attention ahead of a reported SummerSlam-season return.

Cody Rhodes also acknowledged the downside of always being present.

“And if that means that things can get a bit expected, then that’s still a safe place to be. I need to be the one who’s here all the time until someone else steps into those boots.”

For now, while others recharge on the sidelines, Rhodes appears determined to keep carrying the ball — and the banner — as one of WWE’s most visible stars.

- VISHALBHAWANI

ROMAN REIGNS BEATS CM PUNK TO WIN WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE IN WRESTLEMANIA 42 MAIN EVENT

Roman Reigns stopped CM Punk in the WrestleMania 42 main event and left Las Vegas with the World Heavyweight title.

Roman Reigns - Image via @WWE X.com

Roman Reigns left WrestleMania 42 with the World Heavyweight Championship after beating CM Punk in the main event at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Punk came in as champion and carried the belt into the biggest match of the weekend against the man WWE has positioned as its top star for most of the last decade. Like other top-dog return stories we have tracked recently, including another major championship push built around star power, the company leaned hard on name value here. The feud had deeper roots than a normal title defense, with WWE framing it around bad blood that stretches back to Punk’s 2014 departure and everything that followed after. That gave the match a different kind of weight before the opening bell even rang.

Once it started, they worked a long main event with the kind of protection WWE usually saves for its biggest names. Both men survived signature offense, both took heavy damage outside the ring, and Punk was left bleeding as the match kept dragging into deeper water. A powerbomb through the announce table gave the fight its first major crash point, and Punk later answered with a flying elbow that drove Reigns through the other table.

Punk kept reaching for shortcuts once the title started slipping. He distracted the referee, landed a low blow, and still could not finish the job. He hit another GTS and followed later with one more after the elbow through the table, but by then he was too exhausted to turn it into the finish. Reigns recovered, blasted him with a Spear, then put him away with another once Punk got back to his knees.

Roman Reigns closes WrestleMania 42 with the belt again

That finish fit the story WWE told all the way through. Punk had more desperation, more chaos, and more empty-the-tank offense. Reigns had the cleaner closing stretch and the stronger final shot. In a match built around two stars with long histories and oversized egos, WWE chose the same answer it has picked over and over when the stage gets biggest.

For Reigns, the win puts a world title back around the waist of a wrestler whose entire modern run has been built around dominance, presentation, and main-event control. For Punk, it ends this title run with a loss that came only after he emptied everything he had, including the cheap shots. He was protected in defeat, but he still walked out without the championship.

WrestleMania 42 was sold around spectacle, but this match finally brought the scale the card needed. Reigns leaves Las Vegas as World Heavyweight Champion, and Punk leaves with a loss in a feud that had enough baggage to keep going if WWE wants another round. If you have been following how major-event headliners are being framed lately, the same championship-first logic has shown up across other recent marquee results.

- Jake Blend

INSANE JOHN CENA STAT EMERGES IMMEDIATELY AFTER WWE SMACKDOWN

 

Jaw-Dropping John Cena record surfaces following WWE SmackDown.

One of the rivalries John Cena renewed in his Farewell Tour is his one with CM Punk. Shades of their previous 2011 feud are present in the current version. In a recent WWE SmackDown episode, history did not just repeat itself, but was reinvented when The Cenation Leader fought R-Truth, followed by the presence of The Best in the World.

In 2011, R-Truth and John Cena had a tables match, which resulted in the former winning after CM Punk interfered. This then led to the infamous Pipebomb promo with The Cenation Leader laid out in the ring on top of a table.

On this week’s WWE SmackDown, Truth won against Cena via disqualification after the champion attacked him with the title. Following this, John also fended off an attack from Punk before putting him through a table and delivering his own “Pipebomb.”

John Cena and CM Punk are set to face off at the upcoming Night of Champions premium live event on June 28, 2025, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

John Cena Mentions Former WWE Stars On His Pipebomb Promo Against CM Punk On SmackDown

John Cena didn’t hold back on his own version of his pipebomb promo against his Night of Champions rival. The Last Real Champion said that CM Punk wasn’t The Best in the World, but instead was the “biggest bullsh****er of all time.”

John added that Punk doesn’t have any friends in the Stamford-based promotion since he doesn’t get along well with people in the locker room, called Punk a capitalist and a millionaire despite referring to himself as The Voice of the Voiceless, and even called the challenger “Mr. TKO.”

However, what got fans going is when John Cena mentioned several former WWE Superstars, Claudio Castagnoli (FKA Cesaro), Nic Nemeth (FKA Dolph Ziggler), and Matt Cardona (FKA Zack Ryder).

- Hazel Pagador

JOHN CENA MAKES WWE HISTORY AT WRESTLEMANIA

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John Cena has won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania for a record-breaking 17th time.

The wrestler, who announced he was going to retire at the end of 2025, has won more titles than anyone in WWE history, overtaking Ric Flair.

Cena beat Cody Rhodes with a bit of help from rapper Travis Scott at the 41st WrestleMania near Las Vegas, USA, this weekend.

John Cena who announced his retirement in July last year, has not been wasting his last months on the circuit.

He shocked fans with a 'heel turn' at the beginning of March ahead of his two UK appearances in Glasgow and London.

With 30 appearances planned in total before his retirement in December, WrestleMania, Vegas is the biggest.

As well as the thousands of fans watching from inside the arena, it was the first time WrestleMania has been shown live on Netflix.

This gave 300 million people a chance to watch as part of their subscription to the streaming platform.

What else happened at WrestleMania?

Becky Lynch made a triumphant return

Wrestlemania also saw a triumphant return for Becky Lynch, who hasn't wrestled since May 2024.

The former world champion stepped in as a tag partner for Lyra Valkyria.

The two won the Women's Tag Team Championships.

Seth Rollins seemed to form an alliance with Paul Heyman as the two defeated Roman Reigns and CM Punk on Saturday night.

And popular wrestler Jey Uso, also won his first ever title, the World Heavyweight Championship.

- CBBC