Cody Rhodes Views Duology With John Cena as the Same Match

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Cody Rhodes discussed his matches with John Cena at WrestleMania 41 and SummerSlam 2025, explaining why he views them as “the same match.” Rhodes viewed the rematch at SummerSlam it as part of the long game and making up for the match Cena and Rhodes weren’t able to have at WrestleMania.

Cody Rhodes said of his two-parter with John Cena (via Fightful), “It’s MetLife, what a good time. I hate saying this, but part of the beauty of how great that match is was the lack of a match that really took place at WrestleMania in a sense. Sometimes the long game is the game.” Rhodes continued, “It’s like going on last, it’s a hard spot occasionally, but the bigger picture — I treat them as the same match and then we just got to use all the bells and whistles.”

Cena defeated Cody to win his record 17th world title at WrestleMania 41. Cody Rhodes regained the title after beating Cena at SummerSlam 2025. Rhodes will next be in action at WWE Crown Jewel Perth, where he faces Seth Rollins for the annual Crown Jewel Championship. The premium live event takes place on Saturday, October 11 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. It will air live on the ESPN App in the U.S. and on Netflix internationally.