AJ Styles has revealed that the idea for Cody Rhodes to kick out of a Burning Hammer at one during their Undisputed WWE Championship match at Backlash France was his suggestion, and that he faced backstage criticism as a result.
The moment came during Rhodes’ first defense of the Undisputed WWE Championship against Styles at Backlash France, when Styles hit the Burning Hammer, a move made famous by Kenta Kobashi and considered one of wrestling’s most dangerous maneuvers due to the way it lands the opponent on their head and neck. Rhodes kicked out at the count of one and fired back up, a spot that became one of the most debated moments of their 2024 feud.
Speaking with Rhodes on his podcast What Do You Want To Talk About?, Styles said the spot was not Rhodes’ idea, but his own, and that he ended up taking heat for it backstage afterward, according to Ringside News.
Styles and Rhodes also revisited another memorable moment from their rivalry during the same conversation, discussing their I Quit Match at Clash at the Castle 2024. According to Styles, he believed he knew exactly how a moment involving Rhodes’ mother slapping him was supposed to unfold, but she went off script during the match, changing the way the spot played out.
The two matches were centerpieces of the Styles-Rhodes rivalry throughout 2024, and the podcast conversation offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at how some of the feud’s most talked-about moments came together.
