The Cody Rhodes Story Thread (IT'S OVER)

[UN PLOMBIER NIGHTMARE #blm]

I like how we’ll probably get a lot of lapsed viewers in the Raw thread similar to when Punk returned and the same thing will probably happen again too, all of them asking what the hell is Akira Tozawa doing and can he immediately stop doing that

[DMO-]

With the crowd turning on The Rock yet again in his career, surely we can expect the formation of the New Nation of Domination?

[Lizuka #BLM]

I don't see any reason to wish any worse on Rock than his career continuing on the trajectory it's been on. I don't get anything out of the guy having a massive scandal or ending up homeless or anything, or getting injured in the Roman match, but I'm a-okay with him continuing the gradual slide into irrelevance he's been on.

[kingoftheindies]

Just cause of the vitriol they're gonna have Cody beat Seth then immediately have Priest cash in and win the title and then they're going to stretch Cody vs the Judgement Day till next Mania

[Fade]

Feb 5, 2024 13:54:43 GMT -5 DMO- said:

With the crowd turning on The Rock yet again in his career, surely we can expect the formation of the New Nation of Domination?

We’re getting the real-life incarnation of “Hollywood Rock” just w/o any of the entertainment value.

Yeeesh. Compare “Hollywood Rocky” to this Rocky, seriously, for a second.

[ppl591]

We really should've supported black adam more. Then we wouldn't have this mess

[Zone Was Wrong]

Feb 5, 2024 14:02:33 GMT -5 ppl591 said:

We really should've supported black adam more. Then we wouldn't have this mess

Look I tried alright, I got through an hour before I realized just how pointless and boring it would be and there was still over an hour left.

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

Feb 5, 2024 13:45:35 GMT -5 UN PLOMBIER NIGHTMARE #blm said:

I like how we’ll probably get a lot of lapsed viewers in the Raw thread similar to when Punk returned and the same thing will probably happen again too, all of them asking what the hell is Akira Tozawa doing and can he immediately stop doing that

"Oh god how is Awesome Truth a thing again?"

[UN PLOMBIER NIGHTMARE #blm]

Feb 5, 2024 14:14:37 GMT -5 "Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik said:

Feb 5, 2024 13:45:35 GMT -5 UN PLOMBIER NIGHTMARE #blm said:

I like how we’ll probably get a lot of lapsed viewers in the Raw thread similar to when Punk returned and the same thing will probably happen again too, all of them asking what the hell is Akira Tozawa doing and can he immediately stop doing that

"Oh god how is Awesome Truth a thing again?"

"That dude's head is gigantic, I don't like him already!"

[chazraps]

I'm still pissed at the douchebag hobby cop that got Killer Mike "citizen's arrested" at the Grammys over alleged "misdemeanor battery" that Mike "shoved him" when entering the building. Such bullshit.

And I'm upset with Mike's friend Cody really getting f***ed here too. And the absolute most insufferable bad faith bad taste perspectives of Oshea Jackson Jr and the former Top Dolla saying what a good idea Rock-Roman at Mania this year is just makes it worse and should be a big red flag they're on the wrong side of history.

Thank goodness there's alternatives. But this isn't about alternatives, it's not even about wanting a better WWE. It's about wanting WWE to continue with what they were doing that we liked that's been derailed for no justifiable reason.

Really think about this in a vacuum: They found a way to get The Rock boo'ed. Regardless his past few movies and polarizing inoffensive public comments and newfound passion for franchising/shilling - he's still someone people were happy to see pop up. An unproblematic legend. One of the absolute top box office stars in the world.

And they found a way to get a match he's in widely hated at the mere prospect of it. At the potential expense of both the newfound fans they've found through Cody's run, the lapsed fans who just like Cody and want to follow him, and the longtime fans who stuck through those needlessly terrible pandemic shows for whom this could really be their Kamp Krusty moment of finally bailing.

In terms of storyline/television entertainment - this sucks. In terms of cheering on a medium of entertainment you want to thrive - this sucks. Even from the perspective of a brand you enjoy that you want to see do well and continue to improve into a sustainably entertaining future - this sucks.

But at least Killer Mike has three Grammys. That can't be taken away. Unless that's what Damien Priest cashes in on. f***.

[johncasey]

It feels to me that they are trying to dig themselves out of a whole by giving the reason why the change was made but it keeps on making things worse

[HIM]

Thinking about this and yeah, it does look like this. I can easily see Rock coming around saying shit about numbers being better than ever due to him and his fans or some crap like that.

Another thing that sucks is I was a huge Rock fan as a kid. Austin and Rock, those were my dudes. Not the Foleys (no offense), not the Takers, not the Angles but Rock and Austin. Seeing Rock turn into another Hogan is devastating. I could really look over a lot of what he's done these years wrestling-wise but this? Nah, this is something I can't overlook.

[BRV]

Feb 5, 2024 14:23:22 GMT -5 chazraps said:

I'm still pissed at the douchebag hobby cop that got Killer Mike "citizen's arrested" at the Grammys over alleged "misdemeanor battery" that Mike "shoved him" when entering the building. Such bullshit.

And I'm upset with Mike's friend Cody really getting f***ed here too. And the absolute most insufferable bad faith bad taste perspectives of Oshea Jackson Jr and the former Top Dolla saying what a good idea Rock-Roman at Mania this year is just makes it worse and should be a big red flag they're on the wrong side of history.

Thank goodness there's alternatives. But this isn't about alternatives, it's not even about wanting a better WWE. It's about wanting WWE to continue with what they were doing that we liked that's been derailed for no justifiable reason.

Really think about this in a vacuum: They found a way to get The Rock boo'ed. Regardless his past few movies and polarizing inoffensive public comments and newfound passion for franchising/shilling - he's still someone people were happy to see pop up. An unproblematic legend. One of the absolute top box office stars in the world.

And they found a way to get a match he's in widely hated at the mere prospect of it. At the potential expense of both the newfound fans they've found through Cody's run, the lapsed fans who just like Cody and want to follow him, and the longtime fans who stuck through those needlessly terrible pandemic shows for whom this could really be their Kamp Krusty moment of finally bailing.

In terms of storyline/television entertainment - this sucks. In terms of cheering on a medium of entertainment you want to thrive - this sucks. Even from the perspective of a brand you enjoy that you want to see do well and continue to improve into a sustainably entertaining future - this sucks.

But at least Killer Mike has three Grammys. That can't be taken away. Unless that's what Damien Priest cashes in on. f***.

Wrestling fans as a whole aren’t upset with the what in this instance, but the how.

The Rock vs. Roman Reigns should be a WrestleMania main event, regardless of The Rock not wrestling in over a decade and his propensity to be completely out of gas within 90 seconds of any action happening around him. But it’s how we’re getting there that’s drawing the ire of the most fans.

Had The Rock simply waltzed in to the Royal Rumble as entrant no. 30 and won the match, there absolutely would have been fans grumbling and grousing, but it eventually would have subsided – not unlike the immediate aftermath of the 2022 men’s Royal Rumble and Brock Lesnar’s inevitable victory. Had the WWE taken that route, then fans would have eventually found themselves begrudgingly accepting the main event of WrestleMania XL.

But, again, it’s the how that got us here. If reports are to be believed, The Rock essentially staged a coup of WWE, using his power to insert himself into the main event with a cabal of WWE/TKO higher-ups supporting him along the way. Never in wrestling history has there been an instance of a performer using backstage power and clout for themselves and the fans liking or accepting it. That’s before we get into the fact that The Rock allegedly used this power play to usurp the role of Cody Rhodes, one of the most genuinely beloved and popular babyfaces in all of wrestling.

For someone as conscious of his public image and who is seemingly so willing to go out of his way to make himself the good guy, I don’t know how The Rock could be blindsided by the fans’ reaction to this approaching trainwreck. He got his “welcome back” pop in Birmingham last Friday night, but that’s about as nice as the fans are going to be to him unless WWE pivots and pivots soon. He’s going to face legitimate, unrelenting boos from live audiences the likes of which he hasn’t heard since he was Corporate Rock. And he has no one to blame but himself.

Again, because it’s not about the what. It’s the how.

[Bo Rida]

Feb 5, 2024 15:08:12 GMT -5 BRV said:

Feb 5, 2024 14:23:22 GMT -5 chazraps said:

I'm still pissed at the douchebag hobby cop that got Killer Mike "citizen's arrested" at the Grammys over alleged "misdemeanor battery" that Mike "shoved him" when entering the building. Such bullshit.

And I'm upset with Mike's friend Cody really getting f***ed here too. And the absolute most insufferable bad faith bad taste perspectives of Oshea Jackson Jr and the former Top Dolla saying what a good idea Rock-Roman at Mania this year is just makes it worse and should be a big red flag they're on the wrong side of history.

Thank goodness there's alternatives. But this isn't about alternatives, it's not even about wanting a better WWE. It's about wanting WWE to continue with what they were doing that we liked that's been derailed for no justifiable reason.

Really think about this in a vacuum: They found a way to get The Rock boo'ed. Regardless his past few movies and polarizing inoffensive public comments and newfound passion for franchising/shilling - he's still someone people were happy to see pop up. An unproblematic legend. One of the absolute top box office stars in the world.

And they found a way to get a match he's in widely hated at the mere prospect of it. At the potential expense of both the newfound fans they've found through Cody's run, the lapsed fans who just like Cody and want to follow him, and the longtime fans who stuck through those needlessly terrible pandemic shows for whom this could really be their Kamp Krusty moment of finally bailing.

In terms of storyline/television entertainment - this sucks. In terms of cheering on a medium of entertainment you want to thrive - this sucks. Even from the perspective of a brand you enjoy that you want to see do well and continue to improve into a sustainably entertaining future - this sucks.

But at least Killer Mike has three Grammys. That can't be taken away. Unless that's what Damien Priest cashes in on. f***.

Wrestling fans as a whole aren’t upset with the what in this instance, but the how.

The Rock vs. Roman Reigns should be a WrestleMania main event, regardless of The Rock not wrestling in over a decade and his propensity to be completely out of gas within 90 seconds of any action happening around him. But it’s how we’re getting there that’s drawing the ire of the most fans.

Had The Rock simply waltzed in to the Royal Rumble as entrant no. 30 and won the match, there absolutely would have been fans grumbling and grousing, but it eventually would have subsided – not unlike the immediate aftermath of the 2022 men’s Royal Rumble and Brock Lesnar’s inevitable victory. Had the WWE taken that route, then fans would have eventually found themselves begrudgingly accepting the main event of WrestleMania XL.

But, again, it’s the how that got us here. If reports are to be believed, The Rock essentially staged a coup of WWE, using his power to insert himself into the main event with a cabal of WWE/TKO higher-ups supporting him along the way. Never in wrestling history has there been an instance of a performer using backstage power and clout for themselves and the fans liking or accepting it. That’s before we get into the fact that The Rock allegedly used this power play to usurp the role of Cody Rhodes, one of the most genuinely beloved and popular babyfaces in all of wrestling.

For someone as conscious of his public image and who is seemingly so willing to go out of his way to make himself the good guy, I don’t know how The Rock could be blindsided by the fans’ reaction to this approaching trainwreck. He got his “welcome back” pop in Birmingham last Friday night, but that’s about as nice as the fans are going to be to him unless WWE pivots and pivots soon. He’s going to face legitimate, unrelenting boos from live audiences the likes of which he hasn’t heard since he was Corporate Rock. And he has no one to blame but himself.

Again, because it’s not about the what. It’s the how.

…And purely onscreen winning from #30 doesn’t really affect anything else, any issues with it are contained. How wwe did it undermines many people, titles and matches.

[chronocross]

Even Conrad is finding a way to make a buck off this:

twitter.com/HeyHeyItsConrad/status/1754492081622396952?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Sorry I don't know how to embed.

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

Rock coming back to tout his numbers after football ends and Mania season begins reminds me of how Hogan would always get off TV during the NBA playoffs so he could come back to a big ratings bump in the summer.

[markymark]

Why are fans going at her, she has nothing to do with his fathers business...

[Gawk Rivers]

LEAVE MY HARD WORKING BUSINESS WOMAN ALONE YOU FREAKS

[krozor]

Turns out this really was the year to use the "last two guys eliminate themselves before #30 comes out to an empty ring" Rumble idea we always talk about every year, with Punk and Cody as the last two and Rock in the #30 spot.

[jm]

Feb 5, 2024 15:23:16 GMT -5 markymark said:

Why are fans going at her, she has nothing to do with his fathers business...

Wrestling fans: "It's not fair that major advertisers and society in general look down on us and avoid us like the plague!!!"

Also wrestling fans: "Let's harass Rock's daughter and send her death threats!!!"