Cody Rhodes injured his pectoral muscle ahead of his Hell In A Cell match with Seth Rollins, but winning the 2022 Money In The Bank briefcase might be the perfect out for both him and WWE despite this long-term ailment. The American Nightmare has been featured heavily since returning to the company at WrestleMania 38, so the injury comes as a tough break for both the performer and federation. This isn't the first time Vince McMahon has needed to pivot due to an injury, though.
Since leaving AEW and returning to WWE, Rhodes has been leveraged as a real draw on television. His feud with Rollins has been front-and-center for the last two premium live events, and the pair had an excellent match at WrestleMania 38 to boot. The act of wrestling despite being badly injured at Hell In A Cell was courageous, and audiences seem even more on his side now than they were heading into the premium live event. If the goal is to get Cody as over as possible, then WWE can consider this mission accomplished.
Based on when wrestlers have been able to come back from surgeries on pectoral muscles in the past, Rhodes is likely looking at a minimum of four months on the shelf. John Cena came back after rehabbing for that long, but most performers miss upwards of six months following the procedure. That's why allowing him to win Money In The Bank with one good arm makes a lot of sense. It would allow Rhodes to hover around the main event scene without physically wrestling matches. He could be a title threat with his arm in a sling; but only that briefcase gives him the ability to do so. No audience would believe that Rhodes can beat a Roman Reigns or even Riddle with a torn pec. Fans could get behind him cashing in and pinning a champion after a lengthy and physical match, though.
The timing shakes out pretty well. He's reportedly undergoing the procedure on June 8, which gives him just under a month to recuperate before Money In The Bank takes place on July 2. That's a quick turnaround, but this is a man who just wrestled a Hell In A Cell match with a torn pec - meaning asking him to make an entrance and climb a ladder seems like a small request in comparison. Rhodes couldn't be directly involved in SummerSlam on July 30, but Reigns is likely to defend a championship at that juncture. And Cody would loom as a threat with his shiny new briefcase, not having to lift a finger in the process.
After that, the next major WWE premium live event that isn't Clash At The Castle or Crown Jewel is Survivor Series in late November—or five months after Rhodes' surgery. Being hurt isn't ideal, but if Rhodes was the planned winner of the Money In The Bank contract entering this week, then there's really no need to divert away from those plans. That simple green briefcase prop allows him to be a threat to Reigns or whoever else without actually wrestling - which is a perfect scenario as he recovers from his pectoral injury.