Cody Rhodes Pulled From AEW Battle Of The Belts, Replacement Named
There will still be a title match of sorts
Jan 8, 2022
AEW TNT champion Cody Rhodes has been pulled from his title defense against Sammy Guevara on tomorrow night's Battle of the Belts card in Charlotte, due to what was termed a medical issue.
In Cody's place, his brother Dustin will now face Guevara in an "interim" TNT title match. Similar to MMA and other sports where a champion is sidelined, an "interim" champion will be crowned in the actual champion's absence. When the champion is medically cleared, they traditionally face the interim titleholder to determine an "undisputed" champion.
The match between Cody and Guevara was to have been a rematch from the AEW Rampage that aired on Christmas night. There, Rhodes won his third TNT championship after defeating Guevara to win the belt. Guevara's reign lasted 84 days, and began after he defeated Miro on September 29.
The matches for tomorrow's AEW Battle of the Belts, taking place at Bojangles Arena in Charlotte, are as follows:
* AEW Women's: Dr. Britt Baker (c) vs. Riho
* Interim AEW TNT: Sammy Guevara vs. Dustin Rhodes
