Cody Rhodes‘ first challenger was determined on the April 19 episode of WWE SmackDown, and he will defend the gold at WWE Backlash.
LA Knight and AJ Styles kicked off Friday’s show as they clashed in a rematch of their bout at WrestleMania 40. This time, the stakes were higher, as the winner of the bout would earn a shot at Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.
The two foes battled it out in a heated match. In the end, Styles thumbed Knight in the eye and hit the Phenomenal Forearm for the win. The broadcast team then confirmed that Styles would challenge Rhodes for the title at WWE Backlash.
Styles and Knight both won Triple Threat matches on the April 12 episode of WWE SmackDown to advance to the Number One Contender’s match on April 12.
Rhodes won the title by defeating Roman Reigns in the main event of WWE WrestleMania 40 Night Two.
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