The WWE Holiday Tour brought excitement to the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena as Cody Rhodes made a big return to the ring. He came back after recovering from a serious spinal injury. Fans in Jacksonville were shocked and thrilled since his return wasn’t announced before the show.
After Kevin Owens’ brutal attack at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Cody Rhodes stayed away for weeks. But he returned with a bang during a live event, stepping into a thrilling Steel Cage Match to defend his Undisputed WWE Championship.
Owens started the night by appearing with his title and delivering a fiery promo, just as he promised at Raw’s Netflix kickoff. But out of nowhere, The American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes, interrupted and challenged Owens to the Steel Cage Match.
Both superstars gave their utmost effort in the intense match. Owens came close to winning, but Rhodes managed to escape the cage just a split second before him. The narrow loss left Owens furious, reigniting his anger with the company again.
Cody Rhodes BARELY defeated Kevin Owens tonight in a Steel Cage Match at #WWEJacksonville 🤯
— #WeWantCody (@WeWantCody_) December 27, 2024
Both men escaped the cage at almost the exact same time, but Cody touched the floor a millisecond before Kevin.🤯
WHAT AN INSANE FINISH🔥🔥🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/pAXBsQtLLM
Rhodes also made an interesting announcement in his promo, hinting he is okay to fight now. He said, “And I don’t think I’m going to miss Tampa for Friday Night SmackDown either.”
Cody Rhodes wants to accomplish a big feat before the new year
After winning the Undisputed Championship at WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes became one of WWE’s top stars this year. While he completed his big goal of winning the title at WrestleMania, he has another challenge: wrestling 100 matches in a single year.
A fan recently pointed out on social media that Rhodes has already wrestled 95 matches in 2024, including TV, live events, and non-televised bouts—more than any other WWE superstar in recent years. Cody responded with excitement, saying, “🤯 Gotta’ get to 100!”
Male wrestlers who have wrestled the most matches OVERALL in 2024:
— 𝙎𝙖𝙢 (@RhodesKotaEra) December 10, 2024
1. Cody Rhodes – 95
2. Jey Uso – 83
3. Damian Priest – 69
4. LA Knight – 68
5. JD McDonagh – 65
6. Finn Balor – 64
7. Gunther – 64
8. Dominik Mysterio – 60
9. Sami Zayn – 60
10. Solo Sikoa – 58 pic.twitter.com/ij2gVMox0i
With the Holiday Live event, Cody is closer to his goal. However, missing a few weeks due to injury might make it tough to reach the milestone this year.
