Cody Rhodes And Braun Strowman Create Viral Moment At WWE Live Event
Cody Rhodes is ready to carry WWE (and its superstars) on his shoulders. Quite literally.
Last night, Rhodes hoisted the 350-pound Braun Strowman on his shoulders and walked around the ring at a WWE live event in Denver, Colorado, displaying the kind of strength that would have made John Cena proud. The now-viral moment occurred soon after Rhodes, Strowman & Ricochet defeated The Usos & Solo Sikoa in a six-person match, exactly seven nights before "The American Nightmare" wrestles Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.
An IRL maniac, @CodyRhodes#WWEDenver pic.twitter.com/9YFcmJpWqs
— Will Washington (@WilliamRBR) March 27, 2023
Cody Rhodes is insane. 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/G5j25erhyz
— 👑𝔸𝕕𝕒𝕞 𝔾𝕠𝕝𝕕𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕘👑 (@AdamGoldberg28) March 27, 2023
It's worth highlighting that Rhodes' rise to the top of the WWE food chain has significantly boosted the company's ticket sales. According to WrestleTix, last night's "Road to WrestleMania" show in Denver was attended by nearly 10,000 fans, an unprecedented number for a WWE house show, even during WrestleMania season. For context, WWE sold a little over 6,000 tickets for an episode of "WWE Raw" at the same venue in February 2022 in the lead-up to WrestleMania 38.
Furthermore, Rhodes has reportedly emerged as one of WWE's top merchandise movers in recent months, hitting the levels of top-tier WWE superstars when it comes to merchandise sales.
Rhodes lifting Strowman on his shoulder wasn't his only noteworthy moment from the weekend. As noted, Rhodes paid homage to the scores of indie promotions where he proved his mettle before returning to a hero's welcome at last year's WrestleMania 38. Rhodes' decision to inscribe the names of the indie feds in his WrestleMania 39 attire drew emotional responses from several wrestlers, many of whom thanked Rhodes for "inspiring" them to keep fighting for a shot at making it to the mainstream.
Rhodes is currently the odds-on favorite to defeat Reigns at WrestleMania 39. If the oddsmakers are proven right, he will become the first man in over 1,200 days to pin "The Tribal Chief."