Cody Rhodes has had a very successful return to WWE and his presence has been just as great for the company outside the ring.
The American nightmare made his comeback at WrestleMania 38 in a win over Seth Rollins and fans jumped on his merch during the eventful weekend. According to PWInsider (H/T Wrestling Inc.), all three of Rhodes’ t-shirts sold out at the AT&T Stadium and Superstore AXXESS, with the clothing ranging from $24.99 to $27.99.
Rhodes has also been great for ratings. Following his defeat of Rollins at The Showcase of the Immortals, the former AEW EVP opened Raw with his first WWE live promo since 2016.
The show experienced its best viewership in 15 months. Having averaged 2.101 million viewers a night, Monday’s episode pulled in 2.318 million, which is saying something as it went head-to-head with the NCAA National Championship game between the Kansas Jayhawks and North Carolina Tar Heels. The March Madness finale brought 18.1 million viewers to Turner Sports, the most in men's college championship history.
Last year, the post-WrestleMania iteration of Raw attracted a viewership of 2.026 million.
A Wonderful Reception
Rhodes’ return has been well received by the WWE Universe and the current feeling is very different from that of his final year with AEW. WWE should be looking to capitalize on that, given their intent on getting more AEW talent on their roster.
Cody has declared that more talent from Tony Khan’s promotion will make the jump following his own switch.
His return is going just the way Vince McMahon must have imagined. Cody has returned to an adoring crowd, is selling merchandise, and has multiple interviews lined up. These are indeed good times for WWE.