WATCH: Cody Rhodes ATTACKED By Rising Star After Raw Goes Off The Air (WWE News)

What happened after last night's WWE Raw went off the air? You can't miss this.

by Andy H Murray
Cody Rhodes Carmelo Hayes
WWE

Carmelo Hayes attacked Cody Rhodes after last night's WWE Raw went off the air, declaring himself for the 2025 men's Royal Rumble after beating up the Undisputed WWE Champion.

Rhodes had seemingly remained in the ring after a well-received segment with CM Punk closed Raw's broadcasted portion. Hayes, a SmackDown wrestler, entered while Cody was distracted by Carmelo's entrance music. Hayes jumped 'The American Nightmare' from behind and put the boots to him, then backed off a little, letting Rhodes rise before punting him between the legs.

When Cody hit the deck, Carmelo got on the microphone:

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"Pop quiz, Atlanta: I'm closing this show out. Hey Cody, one thing I learned from you is sometimes, you gotta take shots to make shots and I'm declaring myself for the Royal Rumble. And when I win, get ready to put the fries in the bag, bro."

Clearly, Hayes didn't want to upload footage of what happened after this. With a table set up and ready, Cody countered Carmelo's attempt to put him through it by slamming his head against the table, hitting a Cross Rhodes, and powerbombing the SmackDown man through the hardware.

WWE has yet to publish videos of the incident on their official platforms. It'll be interesting to see if they do, as Carmelo is now officially part of the men's Royal Rumble match.

Hayes was the 15th man to declare himself for the 2025 men's Royal Rumble, which takes place this Saturday, 1 February, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He joins the likes of CM Punk, John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins in the biggest WWE match of the year.

Cody is scheduled to defend his Undisputed WWE Championship in a ladder match with Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble 2025.

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Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.