WWE: Robert Roode Underwent Neck Fusion Surgery, Cody Rhodes Injury Update, Survivor Series WarGames

Robert Roode Underwent Neck Fusion Surgery

As noted before, Robert Roode has been out of action for WWE since this past June due to an unknown injury at the time. Roode has underwent two medical procedures in Birmingham, Alabama for this unknown injury while he has been away from WWE.

Roode revealed on Instagram that he recently underwent successful neck fusion surgery to fuse his C-5 and C-6 vertebrae together. Roode also stated that he will be starting rehab soon for his neck.

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Roode last wrestled for WWE at their April 1st SmackDown show in Dallas, Texas. Roode was one of the competitors in this year’s Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal match on the show.

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Cody Rhodes Injury Status Update

As noted before, Cody Rhodes has been out of action for WWE since this past June due to a torn pectoral injury.

Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that Rhodes’ recovery progress has been going well and he has been working heavily with several top level trainers. Meltzer reported that Rhodes is currently working on bulking up in terms of size and strength with a target goal of hitting 240 pounds as a legit wrestling weight. Meltzer reported that this would likely be the thickest he will be in his life once he achieves that target goal.

In regards to a potential return, Meltzer reported that WWE’s current plans for his potential return are currently not known beyond it being a surprise. Meltzer also speculated that a return program with Seth Rollins would make the most sense based on his storyline departure but that would be an issue due to Rollins is now a very popular babyface star for WWE’s RAW brand.

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WWE Survivor Series WarGames Attendance, Ticket Sales, Live Gate, & PPV Buys

As noted before, WWE Chief Content Office Paul “Triple H” Levesque stated during this past weekend’s Survivor Series WarGames post-show press conference that the event generated a sold out attendance of 15,600.

Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the real attendance for the event was 13,068 with 12,600 being paid and the rest as comp tickets. Meltzer reported that the live gate revenue for the event was around $1 million.

In regards to pay-per-view buys, Meltzer reported that the event is currently estimated to have generated around 8,700 buys based on updated numbers and estimates. Meltzer reported that the initial PPV buys were around 6,900 but the event saw a large bump in late buys.

In terms of comparisons, Survivor Series WarGames’ PPV buys reportedly is up 24.3% compared to this past November’s Crown Jewel 2022 event but down 21.4% compared to this past October’s Extreme Rules 2022 event.