What was Cody Rhodes doing when Roman Reigns won the WWE Universal Championship 4 years ago?

Cody Rhodes will have a second chance to defeat Roman Reigns on Night 2 of WrestleMania 40. The American Nightmare and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins lost to The Rock and Reigns on Night 1, meaning Sunday's main event for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship will be Bloodline Rules.

The Tribal Chief has been champion for a record 1,314 days. Roman Reigns won the Universal Championship on August 30, 2020, and has never lost it since then.

Back in 2020, Cody Rhodes was still a member of AEW and had a feud with the late Brodie Lee at that time. Rhodes became the inaugural TNT Champion in May 2020 and initiated an open challenge, receiving acclaim throughout his title reign.

That came to an end on the August 22, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite, when The American Nightmare put his TNT Championship on the line against Brodie Lee and lost in a shocking squash match.

After a few weeks away, Rhodes came back and challenged The Exalted One to a rematch, reclaiming the TNT Championship on October 7, 2020. Lee never competed again, as he was hospitalized later in the month and passed away in December of that year. Rhodes, meanwhile, stayed with AEW for another couple of years before returning to WWE at WrestleMania 38 in 2022.

CM Punk says Cody Rhodes has 'backup' for Bloodline Rules match against Roman Reigns

Cody Rhodes will face another challenge in his quest to dethrone Roman Reigns and become the new Universal Champion. With Bloodline Rules as the stipulation, anyone could interfere, meaning that it is very likely the match will turn into a brawl.

Still, CM Punk has made it clear that The American Nightmare will not be alone in the fight, and he has 'backup' too.

"Cody also has a big crew. I’m not saying what you probably thought I’m saying, but Cody does have backup," Punk said after Day 1.

It is questionable if The Best in the World will get involved in this fight, as he is recovering from a torn triceps. But WWE legends John Cena and Steve Austin could interfere.

On the other hand, we should assume that The Rock and Seth Rollins will get involved too, and the same goes for The Bloodline. The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes will be the main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania 40.