Latest Cody Rhodes Injury Update Following His WWE Raw Appearance

WWE Champion Cody Rhodes made a shocking appearance on Monday Night Raw after a brutal match at WrestleMania on Saturday.

Rhodes walked into WrestleMania 42 with a chip on his shoulder as he defended the WWE Championship against Randy Orton. The American Nightmare managed to retain his championship, but suffered multiple injuries in the process, leaving his in-ring future in question.

WWE's Jackie Redmond provided an update on Cody Rhodes' injury status on Sunday. Redmond confirmed that Rhodes is not medically cleared to compete and needed three sutures to the face and four staples to the back of the head due to his injuries that took place during his match.

But with Cody appearing to speak with CM Punk on Raw, how much time will Rhodes actually miss?

Cody Rhodes is currently in WWE's concussion protocol

According to Dave Meltzer on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Cody Rhodes is currently in concussion protocol despite Rhodes believing he doesn't have one. As long as Rhodes remains in protocol, there can be no physical interactions with him on WWE programming.

Rhodes' eye has yet to be fully examined, but the general belief is that he doesn't have a broken orbital bone. Meltzer believes Cody's appearance on Raw Monday signifies that the company believes The American Nightmare won't be sidelined for a long period of time.

Meltzer also confirmed what others have reported, that Orton's punt on Rhodes following their match wasn't the cause of the injury to his eye, and that it occurred during the match itself.

"Just say when."

ANYTHING can happen in the future for @CMPunk and @CodyRhodes... 👀#RawAfterMania pic.twitter.com/ZgaPbprS8k
— WWE (@WWE) April 21, 2026

Will Cody Rhodes be ready to compete in time for WWE Backlash?

Unfortunately for Cody Rhodes, there isn't a lot of time for him to recover before WWE's next premium live event, Backlash, which is less than three weeks away.

WWE Backlash is scheduled for May 9 at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida. While the aftermath of the main event telegraphed a potential rematch between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, that might not be a viable option.

With WWE's biggest show of the year in their rear view mirror, it would probably be in the company's best interest not to rush The American Nightmare back in the ring until he's 100% healthy and ready to go. The last thing the company needs right now is to lose one of its top talents in the long term by rushing him back to the ring too quickly.

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