WWE star Cody Rhodes teases shock career move if he loses at WrestleMania ahead of fights with Roman Reigns and The Rock

WWE superstar Cody Rhodes suggested he could retire as an in-ring competitor if he loses to Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40.

Rhodes, 38, will challenge Reigns for professional wrestling’s most esteemed title belt at WrestleMania‘s two-night extravaganza on Sunday at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The American Nightmare is set for the biggest challenge of his 18-year career as he will also team up with World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins against Reigns and Hollywood megastar Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson on Saturday.

If the American grappler and Rollins win then the former’s title match with The Head of the Table the next night will be a one-on-one encounter with no interference allowed from the champion’s Bloodline team-mates.

However, if The Rock and his cousin win then the Undisputed clash will be a Bloodline Rules Match, which means the titleholder will have full control of the bout’s stipulations.

However, Rhodes is determined to finally win his first world title regardless as he aims to “finish the story”.

So much so, that the ex-AEW superstar suggested that if he fails for a second time, after coming up short last year at WrestleMania 39, then he will switch to commentary.

Rhodes told ESPN’s First Take: “If I don’t finish the story, I might as well move over to commentary at that point. I might as well hit the booth…

“It’s hard enough to be a good guy in 2024 and they’ve rode with me, these fans, they’ve been supportive.

“They’ve created the #WeWantCody movement, the whole thing. So if I lost again, feel like you lose their faith.

“More than anything, even if I didn’t believe [winning the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship], they believed.

“So, I’ve got to do it for them. I believe, but they believe.”

Rhodes has been embroiled in a heated rivalry with The Rock after WWE scrapped their initial plan of having Reigns defending against the movie star at WrestleMania.

The wrestling giants’ new owners TKO, who have Johnson as a member of the board of directors, scrapped that dream match after immense fan backlash.