— After a lengthy absence as he recovered from a torn pectoral muscle that required surgery, Cody Rhodes is getting close to gaining in-ring clearance to return to action for WWE. A fightfulselect.com report notes that Rhodes is deep into his preparations for a return and has been training in the ring and has even been at WWE’s Performance Center dating back to late December.

— The report adds that Rhodes was able to select who he wanted to train with as he prepares to return and he picked NXT stars Carmelo Hayes and Joe Gacy. For what it’s worth, WWE fully expects Rhodes to factor into their WrestleMania plans and in fact, were confident he’d be able to make their biggest event of the year going back to fall when his timetable became clearer.