New photo reveals Cody Rhodes’ eye after a serious Wrestlemania 42 injury that will keep him out for an unknown time.
A bruised-up Cody Rhodes was spotted meeting fans just a day after his big WrestleMania 42 match. Known as ‘The American Nightmare,’ Cody kept his WWE undisputed heavyweight title after taking on ‘The Viper’ Randy Orton during an exciting first night in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, a painful-looking eye injury took some attention away from his win.
Many thought Orton’s famous punt caused Cody’s eye injury, but PWInsider reported it was actually a punch from Orton that accidentally hit Cody, followed by a poke in the eye. After his left eye swelled shut, Cody was put into concussion protocol and had to miss a planned photo session on Sunday. Still, he managed to take some pictures with fans, as shared by The Big Jackpot on social media.
Later, it was confirmed that Cody’s eye injury was serious, and he will be out for an unknown period. WWE’s Jackie Redmond said, “Cody Rhodes is not medically cleared right now. The damage from that main event was severe.” She added that Cody needed stitches on his face and staples on the back of his head. The impact to his eye was so bad that it’s still completely shut.
Redmond also said, “There’s no clear return date for Cody right now, but I’ll share updates as soon as I know more.”
Fans on social media quickly reacted to Cody’s injury. One wrote, “Randy pulled back, Cody didn’t move. Tough situation all around.” Another said, “You can even hear the hit. Ouch.” Others agreed, noting how loud the punch sounded and how the punt seemed to make the eye worse, not cause it.
The story will continue on Monday’s episode of RAW. Though no matches have been announced yet, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Oba Femi, and Brock Lesnar are expected to appear, according to Netflix.