Cody Rhodes Discusses Feeling 'Pitted Against' CM Punk In 2024 WWE Royal Rumble Match

2024 started off with a bang for WWE stars Cody Rhodes and Bayley, as both performers won their respective Royal Rumble matches in January. Sitting down together for an interview on the first installment of "What Do You Wanna Talk About?," the two champions looked back on this year's Royal Rumble, with Rhodes pointing out that, before any controversy involving The Rock, Rhodes was at odds with CM Punk, which affected his mindset heading into the event.

"I had been pitted against Punk on the go-up towards the Rumble, and eventually WrestleMania." Cody said. "Punk is as hot as he's ever been. Punk is beloved."

Ahead of the Rumble in January, Rhodes and Punk came face-to-face on an episode of "WWE Raw," with the two men discussing Cody's father, Dusty Rhodes, as well as their respective paths to WWE WrestleMania 40. Rhodes later went on to win the Royal Rumble with Punk as the most credible threat, but Rhodes believes he won the respect of the crowd over the course of the battle royale.

"In the match, there was this general 50-50ish [feeling] that slowly went to 60-40, slowly went to 70-30 in my favor," Rhodes stated. "I thought, 'Oh, okay. This is the way. We're all in on this together. Okay, great.'"

Rhodes called his second consecutive Royal Rumble victory a "nice moment" for his career. The Undisputed WWE Champion then said it would have felt bad leaving the arena had he won against the wishes of the fans, but fortunately the crowd stayed behind him through the night, and throughout the entire WrestleMania season.

Following their interactions earlier this year, Rhodes and Punk have since briefly reunited, finding themselves on the same side this time around. Last month on an episode of "WWE SmackDown," Punk assisted Rhodes in his ongoing struggle against The Bloodline.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "What Do You Wanna Talk About?" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.