It is hard to believe that just two WrestleManias ago, fans exploded out of their seats with joy as Cody Rhodes finally finished his year-plus-long redemption story, dethroning Roman Reigns and ending his record-setting title reign. From the moment he returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 all the way through his triumphant victory at WrestleMania 40, no one else in the company was more over and more beloved than the grandson of a plumber. But time has a way of changing things and sometimes, not for the better.
Cody Rhodes Finished His Story, and Fans Don’t Want a Sequel
For as great as Cody Rhodes was as a chaser, his first reign as champion was somewhat lackluster. In his just over one year run with the belt, Rhodes defended the title only nine times against five opponents: AJ Styles, Logan Paul, Solo Sikoa, Kevin Owens, and John Cena. Sure, some of the matches were good and storylines compelling, but after waiting for two years to see Rhodes with the championship, the end result fell short of expectations. His second reign, which lasted just over five months, was patently worse, marked largely by a clock-turning-back match for John Cena and saved only by the work of persistent foe, Drew McIntyre. McIntyre faced Rhodes in three of the champ’s five defenses, claiming the belt on his third attempt, only to drop it right back to Rhodes after just one successful defense of his own.
And while the Portland crowd seemed to cheer on Rhodes’ win (or perhaps just the novelty excitement of seeing a world title change hands in front of them), numbers – and comments – don’t lie. WWE posted Rhodes’ victory in full on YouTube, and the reaction was incredibly negative. In fact, by late Saturday afternoon, the video had just over 28K likes compared to over 100K dislikes. That was nearly doubled from earlier in the morning when the dislikes sat at around 54K. The comments have been just as lethal, with some comparing Rhodes to Hulk Hogan and others referencing his relationship with Triple H. The most liked comment, sitting at about a third of the video’s total likes, summed things up pretty succinctly: “Ruthless Depression.”
Fatigue Has Set In
Photo Credit: WWE
So now, as we enter the third Rhodes’ title reign in just under two years, things have moved into unfamiliar territory for WWE. For the first time since Cody Rhodes returned to the company, he’s not the fan favorite or the guy people want to see with the belt. He’s become the so-called golden boy, always getting his way in the end while still denying the entitlement that has come to follow him. Rhodes has shown a little more of his aggressive side of late, but he’s still largely booked as a babyface despite growing boos from the live audience.
Four years ago, his return was universally celebrated to the tune of 210K+ likes and 10M views. Cody Rhodes walked back in the door and instantly became the company’s most beloved face. Now, that allure seems to have worn off, and so too has the honeymoon phase of his return. Rhodes is still being presented as the good guy for now, but he’s not the one fans want, and it seems clear on Friday, he won’t be greeted with a championship celebration anywhere near the likes of his first one. WWE has to face the fact that they have a growing Cody Rhodes problem, and there is really only one way to solve it.
