Kevin Sullivan On What He Expects From Cody Rhodes Vs. AJ Styles At WWE Backlash 2024

In just over 24 hours, Cody Rhodes will defend his newly-won Undisputed WWE Championship against "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles at WWE Backlash. This contest will not only serve as Rhodes' first world title defense but also the first-ever singles clash between Rhodes and Styles. Given the stakes, many pundits, including the entirety of Wrestling Inc. staff, are expecting Rhodes to retain his championship. On a recent episode of "Tuesday With The Taskmaster," former WCW booker Kevin Sullivan revealed himself to be under the same belief.

"Cody's first [televised post-WrestleMania] match [against Carmelo Hayes], he was very giving, and he's probably going to do that to AJ because he respects him, but they respect each other. But if we are right that AJ is going to put Cody over, probably in the middle, you're going to have to heat [AJ] back up. He's too good a talent just to let him be a doormat."

This Undisputed WWE Championship match comes just four weeks after Rhodes ended the history-making reign of Roman Reigns in the night two main event of WWE WrestleMania 40. With Reigns seemingly taking time off the road post-WrestleMania, WWE was then tasked with finding a challenger for Rhodes. As such, a six-man eliminator tournament was coordinated, with Styles and LA Knight emerging as the final two. Ultimately, it was Styles who emerged victorious at the conclusion of the tournament after nailing Knight with the Phenomenal Forearm.

Ahead of his WWE Backlash match, Rhodes received an impromptu challenge from former NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes on last week's episode of "SmackDown." Like Styles the previous week, Rhodes too would walk away with a win.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Tuesday With The Taskmaster" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.