WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins are set to reignite their long-standing rivalry at Crown Jewel 2025, scheduled to take place in Perth, Australia. This clash for the Crown Jewel Championship continues a decades-spanning saga between the two, intensified by their compelling history inside WWE programming and their recent exchanges on Monday Night RAW.
Early Battles: Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins Collide in 2013
The first notable encounters between Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes date back to 2013, during a period when The Shield was solidly aligned with The Authority, led by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. At that time, Rhodes emerged as one of the key wrestlers opposing the controlling regime, aligning with his brother Goldust and father Dusty Rhodes against The Authority’s forces. Despite being fired, the Rhodes family defiantly returned to WWE, starting a heated feud with The Shield that marked an early chapter in Rhodes’s rise as a top babyface talent.
Set against this turmoil, Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins met for the first televised match at Battleground 2013. In a high-stakes tag team match where the Rhodes family’s jobs were on the line, Cody and Goldust defeated Rollins and Roman Reigns in a match that resonated deeply with fans. The following night, the Rhodes brothers claimed the WWE Tag Team Titles by beating the same opponents, underscoring their dominance. Throughout 2013, the tension between Rhodes and Rollins grew, and their clear in-ring chemistry was a highlight that WWE would revisit many years later.
The 2022 Trilogy: Rhodes’ Undefeated Streak Against Rollins
After departing WWE and establishing himself in AEW, Cody Rhodes made a significant comeback at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, immediately thrust back into the main event scene as Seth Rollins’s mystery opponent. Rhodes triumphed in this high-profile match, sparking a deeply personal feud that extended for months. Their rivalry intensified with brutal encounters, including a rematch at Backlash 2022 where Rhodes secured another victory.
Despite suffering a torn pectoral muscle, Rhodes continued their feud inside the unforgiving Hell in a Cell structure. This emotional showdown marked the conclusion of their trilogy, with Rhodes completing a decisive 3-0 sweep over Rollins. Rather than showing respect, Rollins attacked Rhodes after their match, sending him off WWE television for a time. The series highlighted their profound chemistry and delivered memorable matches that WWE fans widely praised.
From Enemies to Allies: Teaming Up Against The Bloodline
By the time Rhodes returned, Rollins had also transitioned into a fan-favorite role. The two wrestlers managed to bury the hatchet and formed a crucial alliance to confront The Bloodline, WWE’s dominant faction led by Roman Reigns. Their truce culminated in a partnership during the WarGames match, with both men putting aside past grievances to challenge a common enemy.
In a dramatic twist, Rollins, previously a key figure in The Shield’s efforts to maintain The Authority’s grip on WWE, switched sides to support Rhodes’s fight against Reigns’s faction, accompanied by The Rock. At WrestleMania 40, the duo faced Reigns and The Rock in tag team matches, losing on Night One but playing a pivotal role on Night Two. Despite a severe injury limiting Rollins’s mobility, he fought through the pain to disrupt Reigns and pave the way for Rhodes to win the WWE Championship. Rhodes’s celebration, marked by a handshake with Rollins, symbolized one of the era’s significant moments.
Rising Tension Ahead of Crown Jewel 2025
Since then, the relationship between Rollins and Rhodes has fractured once again as Rollins allied himself with Paul Heyman and launched The Vision faction. This move has put their friendship under strain, setting the stage for another intense showdown. Rollins’s pursuit to finally defeat Cody Rhodes has stirred new conflict, promising an explosive encounter at Crown Jewel 2025 as they compete for the prestigious Crown Jewel Championship.
“The handshake between Rhodes and Rollins was one of the highlights of Rhodes’ title celebration.” – Source
