Cody Rhodes opens Raw to set up his story in WWE — chasing the title

For anyone wondering how Cody Rhodes first appearance on Monday Night Raw in many years would go down, we didn’t have to wait long to find out. He opened this year’s “Raw After Mania” show tonight (April 4, 2022) at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

For what it’s worth, the slow, appropriately dramatic, rising platform entrance appears to be here to stay.

Rhodes, who was cheered as a conquering hero by the fans and referred to as the prodigal son by commentary, grabbed a microphone and said it wasn’t a hard decision to return to WWE at all. There was a lot of talk, many theories that were way off base, but it all came back to one thing.

The title.

A title his father, his hero, once held back in 1977, and one many WWE stars did too. He told a story about Dusty Rhodes not getting to take the title home because he won by count out and he vowed then, as an eight-year-old boy, that he would bring that title back home later and put it in front of Dusty so that no one could take it away from him.

But then that dream died.

Or did it?

He can put that title in front of Dusty Rhodes anymore, but he can put it around the waist of his son, “The American Nightmare.”

He was rewarded with loud cheers and a “you can do it” chant from the live audience.

“With that in mind, the silence is broken, my intentions are clear. ... I stand before you ready, finally ready, and I’m going to do it. I’m going to give the distinction that my family has long since been denied. And I’m going to do it for you, I’m going to do it for me, I’m going to do it for my family, and I am going to do it for ‘The American Dream,’ Dusty Rhodes.”

Cue Seth Rollins.

Dripping in a pink suit, he danced and pranced his way to the ring, where Cody extended his hand to him and Rollins shook it with a laugh. “Welcome home,” he appeared to say, and commentary painted it as a sign of respect.

Or was it?

I guess the main thing to come from this is that, well, we’ll actually get to see, won’t we?

Get complete Raw results and coverage of the entire show this week right here.