WWE reveals Cody Rhodes’ injury update following Kevin Owens’ piledriver at Saturday Night's Main Event

WWE has recently revealed their official updated diagnosis of Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes following the surprising attack of Kevin Owens at the historic return episode of Saturday Night's Main Event. After facing defeat and Rhodes retaining the championship, Owens launched a bone-crushing piledriver on the champion following a sneaky attack when he was celebrating his victory.

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has been sidelined from the television by Kevin Owens as he launched a sneaky attack on the American Nightmare following his Saturday Night's Main Event win against the K.O.
In a recent social media post on WWE’s official handles, it was revealed that Rhodes has been officially diagnosed with several critical conditions including axial compression of the cervical spine and a cervical strain with spasm. WWE has previously shared that he had cervical swelling but the new report confirmed that his injury is much more serious than previously thought.
“BREAKING: Earlier today it was confirmed that @CodyRhodes suffered cervical swelling and was kept overnight at a local hospital for observation. While X-Rays were negative for a fracture, Rhodes has been officially diagnosed with axial compression of the cervical spine, as well as a cervical strain with spasm,” WWE wrote on X.

It is unclear how long Rhodes will be away from television but his absence will have a significant impact on the highly anticipated Monday Night Raw’s debut on Netflix on January 6 which advertised Rhodes for the event.
Owens, a former pal turned arch-nemesis of Rhodes, has been brutally vocal against the champion. His feud against the American Nightmare started after he teamed up with Roman Reigns to take down Bloodline 2.0. Owens was far from digesting Rhodes’ decision and after Bad Blood 2024 went off the air, he launched a devastating attack to kickstart their feud.
Owens’ attack with a piledriver— a move that WWE has banned since 2000 due to high risk of neck injuries— has gotten widespread attention. It has been the talk of the town as Rhodes became the second WWE superstar and Owens’ enemy to be sent to the hospital. K.O. sent his long-time pal-turned-enemy Randy Orton in an ambulance before Rhodes.
After the attack, Owens snatched the Winged Eagle title and was showing it off when WWE’s Chief Content Officer Triple H intervened in a confrontation. There was shoving and ssignificant pushing involved as The Game was seen very angry at Owens’ attack.
Regardless, the attack has shown Owens’ heel turn to be more brutal and he will continue to do more harm to anyone on his path in the coming matches. And for Rhodes, it is fair to assume that he will take significant time off television to recover from the injury he sustained.