WWE’s Cody Rhodes wants UK WrestleMania in 5 years

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - OCTOBER 07: Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes makes his entrance during Monday Night RAW at Enterprise Center on October 7, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. He is wearing a dark red three-piece suit and carrying a gold WWE belt. He has bleached blonde hair, a black tie and pocket square and a silver chain attached to his waistcoat buttons.Image source, WWE/Getty Images
Image caption,

Cody Rhodes believes fans would jump at the chance to attend WrestleMania in Manchester or London

  • Published

The current undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes says he hopes wrestling bonanza WrestleMania will be hosted in the UK within the next five years.

The 39-year-old, known as the "American Nightmare" in the wrestling world, told BBC 5Live: "If I’m aiming, it would be cool to get it [in the UK] in the next five years."

WrestleMania is usually held in the US over two nights between mid-March and mid April and is the longest running wrestling event in professional wrestling history.

Rhodes said: “There’s some really big venues over here that could host a WrestleMania," adding, "I think American fans would jump at the chance to come to a WrestleMania [overseas], whether that that be in Manchester or London, I think they’d go nuts for it."

Media caption,

WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes talks Wrestlemania coming to the UK.

Rhode’s comments come after 16-time WWE world champion John Cena talked up the possibility of the biggest show in wrestling being hosted outside of the US, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan held talks with WWE Chief Content Officer and former wrestler Paul “Triple H” Levesque earlier this year.

Rhodes said: "When the greatest of all time, as we like to call John [Cena], goes out there and says it, it almost wills itself into existence.

"I'm very much looking forward to watching that situation unfold."

The son of wrestling legend the "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, Cody won his first undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40 in April, after defeating Roman Reigns in a main event match that included appearances from the likes of Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson and The Undertaker.

Rhodes departed the WWE in 2016 and competed on the independent circuit and with rival-promotion All Elite Wrestling, only to return to the WWE and “complete his story” by winning the top title two-years later.

“If you look at it now, it feels like it was destined to be, but I never looked at it that way,” he said.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, external, X, external, and Instagram, external. You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk, external