Seth Rollins has provided new insight into just how secretive—and last-minute—Cody Rhodes’ return to WWE truly was ahead of WrestleMania 38.
Speaking on the Games With Names podcast, the former World Heavyweight Champion explained that despite months of speculation, even he was kept in the dark until very close to the event.
“When did I find out about this? I do [the] Royal Rumble, I wrestle Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble. After that, there were some conversations about matches,” Rollins said. “I would say I didn’t know about Cody for sure until the middle of March, I wanna say. For sure.”
With WrestleMania taking place in early April, Rollins revealed that the confirmation window was shockingly tight. He admitted that uncertainty lingered even weeks before the show.
“I would say WrestleMania is in April and so, we had maybe a month of lead time knowing Cody was for sure coming,” Rollins recalled. “And even ’til two weeks before I remember being like, ‘Do we have his signature on a piece of paper so we know this is what we’re gonna do?’”
According to Rollins, the operation was deliberately kept airtight.
“It was very top secret. There were very few people that knew what was going on.”
Rhodes ultimately made his triumphant return at WrestleMania 38, defeating Rollins in a match that ignited one of WWE’s most defining rivalries of the modern era. The two would go on to face each other three times in 2022, culminating in their brutal Hell in a Cell encounter—most famously contested while Rhodes wrestled with a torn pectoral muscle.
Their paths have remained intertwined ever since. Most recently, Rollins defeated Rhodes at Crown Jewel 2025 in Australia to become the inaugural Crown Jewel Champion. However, Rollins suffered a torn rotator cuff during the match and is currently sidelined following surgery, with an expected recovery time of approximately six months.
Meanwhile, Rhodes recently competed in a no-contest against Oba Femi at Saturday Night’s Main Event, continuing his run as one of WWE’s top champions as the company heads toward the Road to WrestleMania 42.
