SmackDown has a new alliance heading into WWE Bad Blood: Team Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. The once great rivals are now, very tenuously, working together to unseat Solo Sikoa from the “head of the table.”
Roman is adamant that he will be standing on business, family business, to teach his cousins some respect.
Cody has had an uneven run at the top of SmackDown, with some people loving his reign and others really not. He is currently dealing with a ruthless but directionless Bloodline that is desperate for more championship gold.
The main event of SmackDown saw these two top guys sign on the dotted line to make their partnership official, at least for the premium live event next month. Then, it is anyone’s guess where the duo goes.
Who would’ve thought @CodyRhodes and @WWERomanReigns would take out The Bloodline… TOGETHER?!? 👀#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/OS6Yz1v6Fb
— WWE (@WWE) September 14, 2024
Enemies to Partners: The Bar & Rock N’ Sock Connection
Sometimes bitter rivals make the best backup and the heat of battle warms colder hearts. Whatever the WWE equivalent of that is, it could be the future for Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes.
There are plenty of examples in the past of bitter rivals becoming teammates. Mankind Mick Foley and The Rock challenged one another for the WWE title on multiple occasions. Their fights where increasingly violent contests throughout the Attitude Era.
Many years later, Sheamus and AEW talent Claudio Castignoli (then Cesaro) were in a series of matches booked by Foley to determine championship contention.
In both cases, the championship-hungry contenders found tag team gold when they ended up working together. Both teams ended on reasonably good terms, too. Each went on to have long careers, and some memorable moments.
There was no swerve or iconic breakup, just two respected performers going separate ways.
Roman Reigns has got a numbers problem. The Bloodline he had stolen from him is not the one he left. Jey Uso is still on Raw, Jimmy Uso is out, and The Rock is not around (assuming he would even side with Roman) for backup. Roman will need somebody in the trenches with him to take out Solo and company.
That guy could be Cody, and their shared battles may very well lead to a stronger alliance built on respect between the two top guys.
It is also worth noting that The Bloodline holds the tag team titles on Smackdown, giving Rhodes and Reigns the ultimate opportunity to strike a blow to the group and develop as a proper team.
Plans and Schemes: The Wyatt-Orton Family & John Cena and Shawn Michaels
Sometimes, you have to get what you want through less-than-savory means. Hero and villains alike have had to get close to their enemy in the WWE ring to grab what they feel they deserve, usually championship gold.
Two prime examples are Randy Orton’s run with The Wyatt Family and Shawn Michaels’s partnership with John Cena.
For Randy Orton, it was personal. He and the late great Bray Wyatt were blood rivals, but Orton couldn’t seem to hurt Wyatt, thanks to his cult.
Randy joined that cult, won over most of its membership, and brought them renewed success. He got as close as he could get so his betrayal would sink in deeper. For Shawn, it was just business.
He wanted a title, and Cena had one. They won the tag titles together, only for Shawn to betray Cena, costing them the titles and goading him into another match.
Team Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns is a mixture of both. Cody has the title that Roman wants, and they are deeply entrenched in an era-defining feud. That feud makes it highly unlikely that Cody is setting up Roman for a sneak attack.
Reigns, though, may have a trick or two up his sleeve. Bad Blood in Cody’s home state of Georgia would be a huge opportunity to turn on him and reignite The Bloodline vs Rhodes feud with Roman at the head of the table.
History dictates that the world champion may need to keep his head on a swivel during his big tag team match on October’s PLE.
A Super Group: Two-Man Power Trip & The Mega Powers
Team Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns are inarguably a supergroup. Cody and Roman are the top two stars on Smackdown and, realistically, the whole of WWE. This position of a supergroup is hard to come by. The two certified top guys in your promotion rarely have to work together instead of as rivals.
It has happened before, in each of the WWE eras. The two biggest are The Mega Powers of Hulk Hogan and Macho Man, Randy Savage, and Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H’s Two-Man Power Trip. Two-Man Power Trip was short-lived but effective.
The former rivals snatched up all the titles they could while exerting their will over the rest of the roster—the new team of top stars beat down friends and enemies alike.
Similarly, The Mega Powers ran through all the heels on the roster in the early days of WrestleMania and the then WWF’s cultural dominance. Hogan, the top guy; Savage, the next in line; and Ms. Elizabeth, the manager, were a staple of programming up and down the card.
An alliance between Roman and Cody to forsake all others and win the titles would be incredibly interesting and very effective. Truthfully, guys like Bron Breaker, LA Knight, and Gunther are all first-time champions.
Having them get targeted by two of the very best for their gold would be compelling and give a ton of people a fresh set of opponents.
The fans seeing Roman stare down The Rock again or Cody “Yeet” Jey Uso into next week to retain one of his many titles would make it clear that WWE has two Alphas in their midst.
Also, anyone who knows anything about The Mega Powers knows that they got the most exciting to watch when they exploded.
Much Better Together: Brothers of Destruction & The Boss N’ Hug Connection
Sometimes, your biggest hater is also your best friend. The only thing that changes is the day. Mercedes Mone (known as Sahsa Banks in WWE) and Bayley are a modern example of that dynamic.
Older and much more famous examples are The Brothers of Destruction, Kane, and The Undertaker. In both cases, the teams started as rivals; in both cases, they became tag team partners and then eventually champions. Also, both groups would attack and assist one another at seemingly any time.
It was impossible to tell why Kane was coming out to see Undertaker. It was equally impossible to guess if Sasha Banks was going to attack Bayley after a big win or celebrate with her best friend. These teams both became iconic because they are equal parts enemies and allies throughout their careers. All that fans knew was that somebody was getting a beatdown or a chokeslam and seeing who was half the fun.
The Brothers of Destruction reunited six years ago TODAY! pic.twitter.com/txo54DWRF3
— WWE (@WWE) July 23, 2018
Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns have been feuding for a while now. Their real animosity started when Reigns debuted as a part of The Shield. They are two talents connected by a shared legacy of professional wrestling fighting for dominance.
They also, though, do share that legacy. Both men are bound together by shared experience, which can be a strong glue.
The idea that Team Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns can exist one day and not the next at any given time on WWE programming is intriguing. It makes their interactions more nuanced for one.
It also rachets up the anticipation from fans eager to see what happens next. That alone could be worth a run together atop Smackdown.
What to Make of Team Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns?
With so many ways for their story to end, what is next for Team Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns? I wouldn’t expect the two to join forces and become a player in the tag team division.
If they challenge or even win the tag team titles, it will likely be temporary. The duo is also probably not going on to become the new Megapowers.
The time it would take to establish that dynamic would run right through WrestleMania. Nobody is calling for a three-peat this year, especially with The Rock being a potential opponent of either man.
Many fans smell betrayal, and that is definitely a possible outcome. While Roman has been vocal about his disdain for Solo Sikoa, he has also continued to call himself the Tribal Chief. Who is his tribe, then, becomes the ultimate question. He may very well use Bad Blood to attack Cody. It could be with Solo’s knowledge or perhaps without it.
He may have orchestrated a takeover that ousts Solo. This gives him a new and powerful Bloodline to challenge Cody for the title.
However, the most likely outcome isn’t that of a master manipulation. Instead, The partnership will rise and fall to the occasion. There won’t be a dramatic separation between the two. They will work together for a while to take out The Bloodline, go their own ways, and then come back together later.
It might be as rivals, or maybe it’s to even the odds out of a sense of respect for one another. The two can keep that up for years to come, becoming inseparable from one another’s story.
Then their many fans get the best of both: two dominant superstars destroying one another and a pair of wrestling legends making quick work out of an unfortunate team.
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