NJPW Star Has A Warning For WWE Champ Cody Rhodes

By Ross W Berman IV
Cody Rhodes shrugs Wwe/Getty Images

Cody Rhodes is a fighting champion, who is seemingly willing to step up to the challenge of any WWE Superstar, but now a ghost from his free agency past has come back to haunt him. Rhodes recently shared a post, promoting upcoming live event dates in the country of Japan, leading to NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd telling Rhodes to watch is step.

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"STAY OUT OF MY TERRITORY BEFORE I SLAP YOU UP AND TAKE YOUR BELT AGAIN," Kidd wrote on X (formerly Twitter). The Bullet Club War Dogs member shared a video clip of him catching Rhodes in a small package hold. The clip is from a 2017 match in What Culture Pro Wrestling, which saw Gabe Kidd get the upset win over Joe Hendry and WCPW Internet Champion Rhodes, winning the title. The match marks the only time Kidd and Rhodes have wrestled.

Seven years later and both men are champion in their respective promotions. Kidd defeated Eddie Kingston earlier this month in a No Ropes Last Man Standing Match to win the NJPW Strong Openweight Title, which led to Kingston suffering a leg injury, taking him out of competition. Rhodes, meanwhile, bested Roman Reigns on night 2 of WrestleMania 40 to "finish his story" and win the Undisputed WWE Championship. Both men are in their first reigns of the respective title runs. To further the comparison, both men were also tag team champions in 2023, before they won their singles titles in 2024, as Kidd was Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion alongside Alex Coughlin, while Rhodes held the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship alongside Jey Uso.

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