There are times when fans pay lip service to the idea that pro wrestlers put their bodies on the line to entertain them, and other times that they sincerely appreciate it. When it comes to Cody Rhodes and what he put himself through to be in the main event of Hell in a Cell on Sunday night, it’s hard to imagine anyone watching wouldn’t fall into the latter category.
Shortly before the show, WWE tweeted that Rhodes had injured his right pectoral tendon earlier in the week, then made it even worse training for the show. Despite that, the company insisted he would face Seth Rollins inside Hell in a Cell as planned.
BREAKING: @CodyRhodes suffered a partially torn right pectoral tendon during a brawl with @WWERollins this past Monday on #WWERaw.
While weight training in preparation, the tendon tore completely off the bone.
However, Rhodes has vowed to still step inside #HIAC tonight. pic.twitter.com/gpl2S8ilPI
— WWE (@WWE) June 5, 2022
This being wrestling, Twitter lit up with a variety of reactions, including people questioning whether the injury was legit.
Once Rhodes walked to the cage and removed his entrance gear, revealing possibly the nastiest bruise ever seen in sports or sports entertainment, that question became entirely moot.
MAN WHY pic.twitter.com/MpN3APLhH2
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) June 6, 2022
Not only did the bruise look extremely painful, but the underlying injury couldn’t have been any picnic either. Nonetheless, Rhodes not only participated in a lengthy, physical match — which included shots from various weapons and at one point, a bullrope — but he pulled off a number of wrestling maneuvers essentially with one arm. Full credit needs to be given to Rollins’ typically high level of skill and professionalism here too, because even more than usual, the match required two superior talents to pull off.
Rhodes eventually got the pinfall victory, but that hardly even mattered in the end. It’s a match anyone who saw it will remember for a long time, and people who only see the pictures of Rhodes won’t believe actually took place.
Rhodes won with two crossroads and a sledge hammer shot. This was among the most compelling matches in pro wrestling history.
— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) June 6, 2022
Common sense suggests Rhodes is headed for surgery and a lengthy recovery, which is unfortunate given how much momentum he had built up since returning to WWE at WrestleMania. WWE positioned him as a major star in a way it never did during his first stint, and he was repaying that faith.
He did that again at Hell in a Cell in a different but even more impressive way. That kind of performance will ensure he’s still wildly over when he recovers, and it’s well deserved.
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