Cody Rhodes Admits Bringing Back The Winged Eagle Is A Pipe Dream Of His

Only days after teasing the return of the belt, Cody Rhodes has admitted that bringing back the Winged Eagle version of the WWE Championship is a pipe dream of his.

Rhodes said on WWE's The Bump:

"Through my youth, the WWE that I was watching was really synonymous with the Winged Eagle. I think there's a lot of people who love the Winged Eagle design. Some people like the 'Big Eagle' [the design used from 1998-2002], whatever, but the Winged Eagle was the one for me. Today's design with the giant W is also incredibly special. It's this walking billboard for the promotion.

"The reality is I was able to change the Intercontinental Championship once before, which seemed absurd. If I'm able to get to the finish line, biggest WrestleMania of all time. SoFi [Stadium] in Hollywood, if I'm able to get to the finish line, and get my hands on these things that like I said, have eluded my family up until now. It just would be kind of a fun - maybe it's just a pipe dream. Maybe it's just a thought, a glimmer, but it would be fun to just say, let's just boil them [the two separate titles] down and bring back the Winged Eagle.

"All the titles, it's the equity within them that makes them special. From a design standpoint, I just have a lot of love and reverence for that one, and it's just a little pipe dream. I had the same pipe dream with the Intercontinental Title and I was lucky enough to make that come to fruition. So, follow along because this is where the fun begins."

Debuting in 1988, the Winged Eagle version of the WWE Championship was the company's main prize until it was quietly retired in 1998 and replaced with the Big Eagle. The belt is synonymous with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Ultimate Warrior, and Randy Savage.

H/T to Fightful