Cody Rhodes Wasn't Cleared from Injury Until WWE Royal Rumble; Popped Eardrum in Win

Cody Rhodes won the 2023 Royal Rumble during his dramatic return to the ring, but he nearly wasn't able to compete.

The superstar told Ariel Helwani of BT Sport afterwards that he was only cleared from his torn pectoral injury on Saturday:

Rhodes underwent surgery last June following his Hell in a Cell match against Seth Rollins, initially coming with a recovery timeline of nine months. He worked his way back to the ring and entered to massive applause as the 30th and final entry in Saturday's Royal Rumble:

He went on to eliminate five competitors, winning the event after knocking out Gunther:

Of course, the return did not come without hiccups, as he suffered a new injury during the event.

"Don't tell anyone, don't put it on a medical report, but I popped my eardrums," Rhodes told WWE Digital Exclusive (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News). "So, what a night not to hear that much. But I could hear them loud enough, and it's a beautiful moment."

It should still stand as a memorable night for Rhodes.

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