Wrestling Fan Fools WWE Fans Into Believing Cody Rhodes Was Heading To Elimination Chamber 2022
Here's how you were duped into believing the American Nightmare was heading to Jeddah via Poland.
Friday saw an image circulating online that purportedly showed Cody Rhodes in a Polish airport on his way to Saudi Arabia for WWE Elimination Chamber. Of course, the American Nightmare didn't appear at this premium live event, and neither was he anywhere near the Jeddah Super Dome venue which housed this show.
Since then, PWInsider has moved to report Rhodes as being in Orlando, Florida this weekend, with it believed he's at the Orlando-based WWE Performance Center to film vignettes ahead of his return to the company.
So, how exactly did so many get duped into thinking Cody was heading to Saudi Arabia via Poland? Quite simply, this is all down to someone named Manieq on Twitter.
As Manieq detailed, he made a fake photo designed to make it appear as if Rhodes was in Warsaw Airport. This was done as a joke suggesting that the three-time AEW TNT Champion was heading to Poland's Prime Time Wrestling to become the promotion's new CEO.
In reality, the faux picture took an image of Cody from a December 2021 meet-and-greet event and doctored it to make it appear as if he was elsewhere.
I wanted to hit a joke in Polish wrestling groups in connection with a polish federation Prime Time Wrestling where Rhodes would be making his debut as the new CEO (that's why "Cody landed in Warsaw" and not in another country). [2/7] pic.twitter.com/2ShM5yfokQ
— Manieq (@mvnieq) February 20, 2022
because I didn't connect all the fun of it to the events in Saudi Arabia. I must admit that the most entertaining part was not the "taking of the bait" itself, but the analysis of this photo by many internet users [4/7]
Advertisement— Manieq (@mvnieq) February 20, 2022
Also respect to the people who suspected from the beginning that something was going on and started to look for evidence for the bait. [6/7]
— Manieq (@mvnieq) February 20, 2022
Thanks for the time we spent together, if you were fooled I'm sorry, if not - congratulations for your attitude towards every rumor published on the Internet.
I'll see you at Wrestlemania, where Kenny Omega will step in between Reigns and Lesnar ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). [7/7] pic.twitter.com/M8sKtfffBQ
— Manieq (@mvnieq) February 20, 2022
After he and his wife Brandi officially departed AEW this past Monday, Cody Rhodes is expected to return to WWE imminently - with his free agency status meaning he could theoretically appear on WWE programming as soon as tomorrow's Raw.