Cody Rhodes on his WWE goals: ‘I want to run the score up’
As he prepares for WWE Royal Rumble 2026, Cody Rhodes’ mindset is to run the score up.
Rhodes outlined his WWE goals during an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter this morning in advance of the Royal Rumble. Ultimately, he wants this era to be remembered as bigger than the Attitude Era was. Rhodes’ plan to get there is to keep stacking accomplishments on top of accomplishments.
“I’m a big proponent of, even if the score is up, we’re not punting away,” Rhodes said. “Since I’ve returned, I have every statistic you can think of: winning the WWE Championship, King of the Ring, Crown Jewel. Again, you said it, two Royal Rumbles. I want to run the score up. One more Royal Rumble, tie ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. The argument about the Attitude Era versus what we’re doing now, it’s put to rest. That would be the biggest thing done in my career yet. A near-impossible feat. Looking to get it done in a matter of hours.”
Rhodes won the men’s Rumble match in both 2023 and 2024, while Austin holds the record with wins in 1997, 1998, and 2001.
Among the participants confirmed for this year’s edition of the Rumble are Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Gunther, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Austin Theory, Oba Femi, and Randy Orton.
A victory for Rhodes would open the door for him to continue his ongoing feud with Drew McIntyre, who won the WWE Championship from Rhodes on SmackDown earlier this month. McIntyre has a title defense against Sami Zayn on the card for today’s Rumble PLE in Saudi Arabia.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.