Cody Rhodes, WWE Superstars Announced for World Heavyweight Championship Tournament

WWE announced Sunday the 12 wrestlers who will have a chance to win the new World Heavyweight Championship.

Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Edge, Bobby Lashley and United States champion Austin Theory headline the field.

Triple H revealed on the April 24 edition of Raw that WWE was bringing back the world heavyweight title, albeit with a new design. The move coincided with the WWE draft, which would reaffirm the brand split between Raw and SmackDown.

Ahead of Backlash, Triple H detailed how a new champion will be crowned.

Raw and SmackDown this week will both feature a pair of Triple Threat matches, the winners of which will face off later on their respective shows. The representatives for Raw and SmackDown then advance to the tournament final at Night of Champions on May 27.

Rhodes is arguably the early favorite. The American Nightmare was unable to avenge his loss to Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 39, but he earned a major victory over Brock Lesnar at Backlash on Saturday.

But with so many decorated stars in the bracket, Rhodes will have his hands full.

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