Cody Rhodes shares his thoughts on being in the same company as CM Punk again.
Cody Rhodes and CM Punk previously worked together earlier in their WWE careers. They then reunited in AEW in 2021, but Rhodes left the company the following year. AEW terminated Punk’s contract in September 2023, and he returned to WWE in November. In doing so, he followed Rhodes, who made his own WWE return at WrestleMania 38.
At the WWE Royal Rumble post-show press conference, Cody Rhodes was asked to describe how surreal it was to be back in WWE alongside Punk.
“It’s funny that we meet back here. Really,” Cody Rhodes said. “When we were at AEW, I thought we would encounter one another there, and it didn’t happen,” Cody Rhodes said. “For whatever reason, it didn’t happen. But I think both him and I had different personal experiences.
“Don’t believe anything that Wade Keller put out about why I left or anything like that. The truth is, nobody knows. Personal thing, and probably a personal thing for Punk. That happens. People come, people go. It’s not a huge thing. But to see him tonight and to see Miz, to see Kofi, those were my guys.”
Cody Rhodes: CM Punk Is Amazing
Cody Rhodes then recalled one of his earliest memories of CM Punk during his days in the developmental system. He noted that he wanted Punk to look at him and see who he was, and Cody said he thought that happened. Rhodes stated that Punk is amazing, and he looks forward to what he does in WWE.
“The first OVW show I walked into Brent Albright versus CM Punk was the main event, and Punk was also like running the whole show,” Cody Rhodes said. “Made me set up the ring. To see that, sometimes you want another person who you admire and respect to stop looking at you as the kid and look at you and see who you are.
“I think tonight, he got to see who I am now, and that means a lot to me. He’s amazing, [the Royal Rumble match] could have gone either way. I look forward to what he does in WWE.”
Rhodes eliminated Punk to win the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble match on Saturday.
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