Cody Rhodes Hospitalized with Back Injury After Winning Undisputed WWE Title at SNME

Doric SamDecember 16, 2024

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 14: Cody Rhodes Celebrating Victory against Kevin Owens during Saturday Night Main Event at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on December 14, 2024 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by WWE/Getty Images)

WWE/Getty Images

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes retained his title at Saturday Night's Main Event by defeating Kevin Owens, but Owens got the last laugh with a post-match beatdown that left Rhodes hospitalized.

WWE announced on Sunday that Rhodes suffered cervical swelling and was kept overnight at a local hospital in Long Island, New York for observation. It was also announced that X-rays were negative for a fracture, but Rhodes was officially diagnosed with axial compression of the cervical spine and a cervical strain with spasm.

WWE @WWE
BREAKING: Earlier today it was confirmed that <a href="https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CodyRhodes</a> 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… <a href="https://t.co/zyfdThsMQs">pic.twitter.com/zyfdThsMQs</a>

Rhodes' title defense against Owens headlined WWE's first Saturday Night's Main Event since 2008. The event previously aired on NBC on special occasions from 1985 to 1992. Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the site of Saturday's show, was the venue of the original Saturday Night's Main Event.

When the cameras went off the air with Rhodes celebrating retaining the title, Owens attacked him and delivered a piledriver that likely caused the champion's injuries. Rhodes was placed onto a stretcher and taken to an ambulance to be transported from the arena:

WWE @WWE
EXCLUSIVE: After narrowly losing to Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens brutalizes The American Nightmare with a Piledriver just moments after Saturday Night's Main Event goes off the air.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SNME?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SNME</a> <a href="https://t.co/cSYV89siX0">pic.twitter.com/cSYV89siX0</a>

Owens' actions were so egregious that they drew the ire of WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque, who confronted Owens before he got behind the curtain:

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WWE @WWE
Upon leaving gorilla, Triple H got into a confrontation with Kevin Owens. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SNME?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SNME</a> <a href="https://t.co/potNPaUhW8">pic.twitter.com/potNPaUhW8</a>

Owens' attack on Rhodes signifies that their rivalry will continue despite Rhodes' victory on Saturday. WWE has a long time to build its next premium live event, as the 2025 Royal Rumble isn't until Feb. 1. The company is also holding its next Saturday Night's Main Event special on Jan. 25 in San Antonio. It can be expected that Rhodes and Owens will settle their differences at one of those shows.

For now, it appears that Rhodes will be out of action for the foreseeable future while he nurses his injuries. Owens will surely take some solace in knowing that he sidelined the WWE champion with his brutal attack.

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