The excitement that surrounded Cody Rhodes’ victory over Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL and subsequent “finishing his story” hasn’t exactly lived up to the title match.
Regrettably, there hasn’t been much left to be wanted as the months following ‘Mania’ have passed.
I suppose I haven’t won over the hordes of admirers Mr. Cody Rhodes has with a title and banner like that, but please believe me, readers—my heart is in the right place.
In my opinion, Cody is a fantastic professional wrestler who has earned the right to unseat Roman Reigns, the previous record-breaking champion. However, he hasn’t had many interesting storylines to work with thus far in his title run.
The company and its many devoted supporters needed change, and the fact that the decision to make the change at the top was undoubtedly beneficial for business. However, Cody himself had to endure a lengthier battle after all of that, with the “finishing the story” aspect taking longer than expected.
Cody Rhodes was trained by WWE. That makes great sense, of course. Throughout the company’s illustrious history, particularly with the NWA and WCW, his father, the renowned Dusty Rhodes, played a crucial role. Thus, Cody started his adventure after briefly wishing to pursue an acting profession.
Following in the mighty footsteps of numerous great professional wrestlers who would not only dominate but also become legendary themselves—a list that includes John Cena, Dave Batista, Randy Orton, and of course Brock Lesnar, to name just a few—he too became a product of the now-famous Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental territory.
During his initial tenure with the organization, Cody advanced to the WWE main roster; nevertheless,
And my, how he would rattle those cages. In addition to dominating NJPW and rising to the top in organizations like TNA Wrestling and Ring of Honor, he also became a key player in the storied Bullet Club group.
Although he carried a lot of gold home with him, co-creating AEW was his greatest achievement.
Whether you love it or not, the new promotion/company has greatly benefited the pro wrestling industry. They forced WWE to pay attention, and the company had to significantly improve its game because it was no longer a monopoly and faced more intense competition.
There is only one large firm at the top, which is bad for both the fans and the
And even after suffering an early pectoral rupture injury during preparation for an incredible match against the legendary Seth Rollins
It appears that we are receiving what I have begun to refer to as “Filler Matches.” In any kind of art, “filler” refers to the material an artist releases to pique public interest in a larger piece they are planning, and frequently, this “filler” work is far less than desirable by most.
This regrettable category includes every feud Cody has been involved in since defeating Roman for the belt. One example would be the fact that, as of right now, his match at Bad Blood is a tag match involving him and his old rival, Reigns, against Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu rather than a championship match.
Since becoming a champion, he has held this position; we seem to
(which he wrestled nonetheless), winning the Royal Rumble, losing WrestleMania, and then winning another Royal Rumble the next year.
He would eventually achieve the long-awaited dream of defeating Roman Reigns, the Tribal Chief himself, at WrestleMania 40 after two matches, bringing the story to a close.
However, the story doesn’t really end in professional wrestling until the boots are left in the middle of the ring and the concerned pro wrestler rides off into the sunset, which shouldn’t be the case with Cody Rhodes at all.
*Of course, a dramatic playing field has undoubtedly been built and a potential bout between Cody and Reigns has been set following this week’s emotional promo showcasing both of them in the empty stadium.
This makes sense, but maybe there will be more going on this year than simply Cody and Roman’s potential third match. Cody’s run would be wasted in that way.
As mentioned, they should keep things intriguing in the lead-up to Cody and Roman’s last showdown, and they could perform better than they have so far.