John Cena has had one of the greatest pro wrestling careers in the modern era. The 16-Time World Champion rose to prominence in the mid-2000s and spent over a decade at the top of WWE.
In more recent years, Cena has appeared in the company less and less as he pursues an acting career that has already landed him top roles in the Transformers and Suicide Squad franchises.
As Cena’s career has wound down, Cody Rhodes has been building his name. After leaving WWE in 2016, Rhodes recreated himself on the independent scene, working in promotions around the world to rebuild himself from the ground up.
This culminated in him being one of the driving forces behind the creation of All Elite Wrestling where he served as an Executive Vice President as well as one of the company’s top stars.
After announcing his shock departure from AEW in 2022, Rhodes made his triumphant return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 where he defeated Seth Rollins.
One year and a serious injury later, The American Nightmare is on the cusp of achieving his dream of reaching the top of the company himself, having won the Royal Rumble to secure his place in the main event of the 39th edition of the Showcase Of The Immortals.
There, he will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and, if he is victorious, begin his own reign at the pinnacle of the promotion.
Hall of Famer guarantees Cody Rhodes can outshine John Cena
One Hall of Famer who believes in Rhodes is Teddy Long. In a recent interview with Sportskeeda, the former SmackDown General Manager spoke of his belief that Rhodes could “outshine” Cena.
“In my opinion, I think Cody Rhodes can certainly outshine John Cena any day. He’s a great competitor. I’ve known Cody Rhodes since he was a little bitty boy playing on the softball team.
“His father, Dusty Rhodes, God rest his soul, gave me my first job, so I never will forget that, but Cody Rhodes, I guarantee you, will outshine John Cena any day.”
H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the above transcription