Cody Rhodes and his Undisputed WWE Championship run hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype that preceded his beating Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL and subsequently ‘finishing his story. ‘
Unfortunately, as the months since ‘Mania have waned, there has been much left to be desired.
And with a title and header like that, I guess I haven’t ingratiated myself with the legions of fans Mr. Cody Rhodes has, but trust me, dear readers, my heart is in the right place.
Cody is, to me as well, a great pro wrestler and one who more than deserved to dethrone the former record-breaking champion, Roman Reigns. But so far, his title run and the storylines he’s been dealt with are a tad lackluster.
The company and its many loyal fans needed change, and the fact that the change above at the top occurred was definitely a good thing for business, but after all that struggle—and the whole ‘finishing the story’ deal was a struggle that lasted a longer time for Cody himself and for his fans too—but the payoff, which is the subsequent run as champion, should have been and should be a lot more satisfying after everything he and we had been through on both sides of the spectrum.
Today, we’ll be looking at just three possibilities that will add that flair (pardon the pun) to a much-deserved epic title run for one Cody Rhodes, and in the end, it will make the wait that much more worth it for Cody himself and for his many fans.
Stepping Away to Prove Himself
WWE groomed Cody Rhodes. Of course that makes perfect sense. His father, the legendary Dusty Rhodes, was a pivotal cog in the company and its rich history, specifically with the NWA and, of course, WCW. So, after a brief time of wanting to chase an acting career, Cody embarked on his journey.
He, too, became a product of the now legendary Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental territory, following in the mighty footsteps of many great pro wrestlers that would not only dominate but become legendary themselves; a list that includes John Cena, Dave Batista, Randy Orton, and of course Brock Lesnar, and we’re just naming a few here.
Cody, in his first run with the company, would make it to the main roster in WWE, but his time there would prove to be frustrating. He found himself trapped under a glass ceiling, one he couldn’t see past for the time being.
That frustration led to his stepping away and finding a home for himself on the independent circuit, and what a home that would turn out to be.
“I talked to him (Triple H) in Gorilla when I was really frustrated doing Stardust. I went to walk out, and he said, ‘Rattle the cages.’ That could have meant a lot of things. ‘Go talk to the writers.’ I took it literally and went out and rattled (the cages) as much as possible. I’m so glad that relationship gets to develop now,” Cody stated during a press conference following the Royal Rumble in 2023.
A Frustrating Turn of Events
And boy would he rattle said cages. He not only rose to the top in companies like TNA Wrestling and Ring of Honor, but he also dominated NJPW and became one of the more pivotal members of the famed Bullet Club faction.
He brought a lot of gold home, but his most important accolade was the co-creation of AEW.
Like it or hate it, that new company/promotion has done the pro wrestling business a world of good. They made WWE take notice, and the fact that WWE isn’t a monopoly any more and competition is out there on a larger scale made WWE step up its game big time.
With just one big company at the top, that isn’t good for the fans or the wrestlers themselves.
But as time wore on, fans got frustrated with Cody in AEW. He had some important issues to deal with…specifically one of regret, not ‘making it’ where he had been groomed, and not getting his hands on a very important accolade for him and his family.
Perhaps it was the most important accolade of all.
“For me, it was just time to move on. I get an opportunity at my dream; I get another chance at it. And you really can’t leave any stone unturned with that,” Rhodes stated at a press junket back in 2022. And so, at WrestleMania 38, he did return in a match that has gone down in history as being one of his absolute best.
And despite an early pectoral tear injury, which he suffered while training for yet another epic match with the incomparable Seth Rollins (a match he wrestled anyways, by the way), and a Royal Rumble win a WrestleMania loss, another Royal Rumble the following year.
After two matches at WrestleMania 40, he would finally get his hands on the dream he’d been after for a very long time, dethroning Roman Reigns, the Tribal Chief himself, and ultimately finishing the story.
But the story has yet to begin because in pro wrestling, the story never really ends until the boots are left at the center of the ring and the pro wrestler in question rides off into the sunset, which shouldn’t be happening for Cody Rhodes any time soon.
So…Now What?
Well, we seem to be getting what I’ve started to call ‘Filler Matches.’ In art, any form of art, ‘filler’ is what an artist puts out as material to hold off the masses for something bigger they are planning down the line, and oftentimes, this ‘filler’ work is a lot less than acceptable by most.
All of the feuds Cody has been put to since winning the title from Roman fall under this unfortunate category. Case in point: The fact that his match at Bad Blood is not a title match as of this writing, and is a tag match pairing him and his former foe, Reigns, going against Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu.
He has been in this position since becoming champion; we seem to be repeating ourselves over and over again, and only the players are being shifted around. That’s no way to keep up the momentum for what should be one of their greatest Undisputed WWE Champions: Cody Rhodes.
They are totally missing the boat here. Cody Rhodes has a rich history that dates back to his father’s career. He was a part of that, was around for it, was backstage for it back in WCW.
And his history can be used here as well. What follows are just three possibilities that pull from Cody’s aforementioned rich history and would make his story that much more original and interesting, especially with fans of his father and of his.
*Of course, after this week’s dramatic promo featuring both Cody and Reigns in the empty stadium, a dramatic playing field has definitely been established, and there is a possible match between the two down the line.
This makes sense, but hopefully, the entire year isn’t centered just on the possible future 3rd match between Cody and Roman. That would be a waste of Cody’s run.
As stated, they need to make the time between Cody’s and Roman’s ultimate rematch interesting, and they could do better than they have thus far.
Triple H and Ric Flair Groom Brock Anderson
The Four Horsemen and Dusty Rhodes were bitter enemies back in the NWA. Can anyone remember the events that led up to the Four Horsemen (Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson, Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, and even manager JJ Dillon) sneaking up on Dusty in a parking lot and jumping him, delivering blows with a blunt object to his hand?
How about when Flair turned on Rhodes and, with the assistance of the Andersons, broke Dusty’s leg?
Yes…all folklore by now, but this rich history can be utilized now. Cody was privy to it, and he has called attention to this rich history in interviews. As confusing as it was for him, it was how he learned the business at first.
“He always explained it to me in a way that I didn’t mind. I liked being disillusioned by it all. And his simple ways of putting it to me always…’ oh, okay, that makes sense.’ As he explained, you couldn’t fight outside of the ring; otherwise, the “league” and the vague league would fine you. Or there would be these big repercussions. And at a young age, I bought it. That makes sense…
“Same as when we got older. I’d see guys bust a wooden chair over his (Dusty’s) head and then shake his hand later. And he says, ‘Respect back here, out there is the only place where we can truly compete.’ Never once did I question it. I didn’t want to question it. The show was too dang fun,” stated Cody while on the Rich Eisen Show back in 2019 (transcription: Cageside seats).
But Ric and Arn Anderson can’t face Cody in a match now, can they? No, they can’t. But what if Arn Anderson were to return to WWE and bring his son and Ric right along with him? Maybe even Tully! Then we’d have something there.
And what about good old Triple H. Did Cody not smash the throne of one Hunter Hearst Helmsley while wrestling abroad—specifically in AEW?
Indeed, he did, to raucous reactions across the board in the pro wrestling community. How could Triple H not want revenge for that—the character that is? Well, what if these three GOATs got together to thwart Cody and his success?
Randy Orton Turns Heel for One More Run and Perhaps Championship Reign
Does anyone remember Evolution? We all know Randy’s character, and although he is enjoying his time as a babyface right now, Randy’s infamous voices have to be giving him a headache about Cody Rhodes right about now.
You know they want him to do something—anything—to stop Cody’s momentum, and why…because the voices told him to, that’s why…because his pupil shouldn’t get the accolades that he would enjoy.
And they can use Ted DiBiase Jr. here somehow, perhaps gaining Cody’s trust only to betray him in a tag match on Raw or something, and then to be revealed as henchman to Randy Orton…at which time Randy would be the main focus.
Mama Rhodes’ Baby Boy Needs to Beat The Rock (But Only After a Devastating Loss)
And finally, we need to see Cody going against The Rock. The last time Cody had loads of heat was when he was in the program with The Rock leading up to WrestleMania this past year, and that’s not only because it was The Rock.
That was primarily because Cody was and is a top babyface in his quest to attain his title and finish his story. The Rock tried to get in his way, and a very passionate feud ensued…one that didn’t even need Roman if you think about it. Those segments were spectacular, and yes, Rock played his part as a heel expert.
Let’s face it: He was easy to hate at that time. It got to a point if you saw him on Instagram, you were kinda still upset at him from what you’d maybe seen the night before. So, it worked.
And when this match does occur, Cody needs to lose. He needs to lose, and he needs to fight to get the title back from The Rock at a later point. Suppose Cody can have the first two feuds I proposed leading up to the next WrestleMania, the match, the final match with The Rock being the final match at that event, where he relinquishes his Undisputed WWE title.
In that case, we can all agree that that would be one heck of a run for Cody Rhodes as champion.
But what was that I said last time about dreaming? Can’t hurt, right? Hope all of these happen, to be honest. But for them to happen one and all need to start thinking about Cody’s rich history.
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