The Cody Rhodes Story Thread (IT'S OVER)

[The Captain]

Feb 8, 2024 18:17:32 GMT -5 chazraps said:

I think 23 years of WWE being the only game in town of their size has desensitized us all who've continued watching to varying extents about accepting things that don't make sense in terms of storylines/presentations/progressions etc.

And I think our reaction to "none of this makes sense" regarding this particular Cody/Reigns/Rock build is perhaps how non-viewers who've given it a chance once or twice in recent years (especially pandemic onward when they'd be inclined to give it a try) interpret what's on-screen and immediately peace out every time they come into contact with it.

"Why is he doing that? Why are they fighting again?"

It just makes me realize how much I prefer more straightforward, KISS storytelling in wrestling over "working the marks."

[stoptheclocks]

Feb 8, 2024 17:44:25 GMT -5 Final Countdown Jones said:

Feb 8, 2024 17:38:37 GMT -5 stoptheclocks said:

The Rock's promo pretty much confirms that WM40 ends with Cody winning the belt.

A few pages ago someone asked why anyone should care about Rock vs Roman as they haven't built a story. Is Cody challenging Roman and winning in a total foregone conclusion even that good a story? Don't remember a huge amount of praise for it prior to last week.

Was a weird start but Cody as the uber face, Roman as the heel and The Rock as The Rock seems like the best of all worlds.

Is Cody handing his opportunity off for no good reason to some other guy and then having to run back to get it, but keep that new guy who has nothing to do with any of this in the match, any better? The 'huge amount of praise' you're not remembering is the crowd reaction after Cody won the Rumble. I don't know where there's even room to act like this wasn't something WWE's audience wasn't all in on and ready to consider a satisfying and good story as written. A simple story is sometimes the best one.

People want to see Cody win the important title. I don't think they are invested in the specific storyline with Roman Reigns which has had almost zero memorable moments to this point that didn't involve a rubber chicken.

If I'm wrong, presumably the crowds would shit all over Cody being added to a triple threat. Or any way this goes that isn't Cody vs Roman 1vs1 because that's the story they want. I don't think they will, I think they'll cheer every bit as loud if/when Cody wins, however he does it.

[Final Countdown Jones]

Feb 8, 2024 18:43:27 GMT -5 stoptheclocks said:

Feb 8, 2024 17:44:25 GMT -5 Final Countdown Jones said:

Is Cody handing his opportunity off for no good reason to some other guy and then having to run back to get it, but keep that new guy who has nothing to do with any of this in the match, any better? The 'huge amount of praise' you're not remembering is the crowd reaction after Cody won the Rumble. I don't know where there's even room to act like this wasn't something WWE's audience wasn't all in on and ready to consider a satisfying and good story as written. A simple story is sometimes the best one.

People want to see Cody win the important title. I don't think they are invested in the specific storyline with Roman Reigns which has had almost zero memorable moments to this point that didn't involve a rubber chicken.

If I'm wrong, presumably the crowds would shit all over Cody being added to a triple threat. Or any way this goes that isn't Cody vs Roman 1vs1 because that's the story they want. I don't think they will, I think they'll cheer every bit as loud if/when Cody wins, however he does it.

That's a very moved goalpost you have there. The crowd accepting Cody being re-added to the match after the backlash instead of screaming even louder to throw Dwayne Johnson into the fires of Mordor does not mean the Roman story wouldn't have been better, nor that the specific idea of seeing the story as it was laid out did not appeal to people. It doesn't mean the story would not have been more focused and better built without all of this nonsense bogging it down. The #WeWantCody/#WeWantRock divide specifically does not come with the terms of "add Cody to a triple threat", that's not standing out to the audience on the whole as a specifically more satisfying way to go about this.

[Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story]

Feb 8, 2024 18:43:27 GMT -5 stoptheclocks said:

Feb 8, 2024 17:44:25 GMT -5 Final Countdown Jones said:

Is Cody handing his opportunity off for no good reason to some other guy and then having to run back to get it, but keep that new guy who has nothing to do with any of this in the match, any better? The 'huge amount of praise' you're not remembering is the crowd reaction after Cody won the Rumble. I don't know where there's even room to act like this wasn't something WWE's audience wasn't all in on and ready to consider a satisfying and good story as written. A simple story is sometimes the best one.

People want to see Cody win the important title. I don't think they are invested in the specific storyline with Roman Reigns which has had almost zero memorable moments to this point that didn't involve a rubber chicken.

If I'm wrong, presumably the crowds would shit all over Cody being added to a triple threat. Or any way this goes that isn't Cody vs Roman 1vs1 because that's the story they want. I don't think they will, I think they'll cheer every bit as loud if/when Cody wins, however he does it.

I’ll speak for myself, but I want to see Cody beat Roman. Beating nobody else makes sense. Roman f***ed over Cody last year. The story became Cody beating Roman and proving there was more then one important family as soon as Mania 39 ended.

[chazraps]

Feb 8, 2024 18:43:27 GMT -5 stoptheclocks said:

Feb 8, 2024 17:44:25 GMT -5 Final Countdown Jones said:

Is Cody handing his opportunity off for no good reason to some other guy and then having to run back to get it, but keep that new guy who has nothing to do with any of this in the match, any better? The 'huge amount of praise' you're not remembering is the crowd reaction after Cody won the Rumble. I don't know where there's even room to act like this wasn't something WWE's audience wasn't all in on and ready to consider a satisfying and good story as written. A simple story is sometimes the best one.

People want to see Cody win the important title. I don't think they are invested in the specific storyline with Roman Reigns which has had almost zero memorable moments to this point that didn't involve a rubber chicken.

If I'm wrong, presumably the crowds would shit all over Cody being added to a triple threat. Or any way this goes that isn't Cody vs Roman 1vs1 because that's the story they want. I don't think they will, I think they'll cheer every bit as loud if/when Cody wins, however he does it.

Hey, I think you're wrong. Especially after last year's Wrestlemania and the build to that event, now more than ever Cody needs to very specifically beat Roman Reigns.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Well, they officially pivoted back

Right decision, one of the stupidest f***ing things I've seen in wrestling in a very long time though, to get back to it

Now watch Cody lose anyway, just because WWE lmfao

[markymark]

Its Mania 30 all over again and Seth was the sacrificial lamb lol.

Cody is winning like Danielson so predictable, oh well

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

If Meltzer is to be believed, this was always the plan. Which makes no f***ing sense. Why have Cody just randomly change his mind six days later?

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

This was never "Always the plan", Cody hugged Rock and left like his whole family died, he was giving up the spot

Tonight they retconned it to the extreme, for GOOD REASON, but they are basically going to have to pretend Cody didn't walk out on Smackdown

And Seth looks like complete shit in all this, that belt is such a joke lol

[Alice Syndrome]

Cody Rhodes chops down Bitch family tree

[Snaptastic]

Bitchalla is on hiatus for the time being at least.

[HIM]

Yeah pretty much what I said would happen, happened. They pivoted, Rock is a heel and they pretty much said Cody's gotta win judging Big E's comment. They're going to make Cody a bigger face somehow and granted, I figured it but I gotta give em props for somehow giving Cody back some fire from that bullshit. Man. It was wayyyyyyyy too complicated but I gotta give em props for them giving me a different story than last year and somehow finding a way to throw Rock into this without him being the big super face. He's got more class than previously thought. Like if this were Vince then we would have for sure had superface Rock vs Roman.


I'm good now. Lets see where this goes.

[UN PLOMBIER NIGHTMARE #blm]

So this opens up Cody winning the title at Mania and we eventually got there but are they really gonna leave the money on the table with just one PLE with bloodline Rock?

Makes you wonder.

[The Rick Jericho]

Feb 8, 2024 20:09:09 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

This was never "Always the plan", Cody hugged Rock and left like his whole family died, he was giving up the spot

Tonight they retconned it to the extreme, for GOOD REASON, but they are basically going to have to pretend Cody didn't walk out on Smackdown

And Seth looks like complete shit in all this, that belt is such a joke lol

THIS.

Is what I will believe.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

All I know is they gotta give Seth something now but I have no clue what

That looked like it's set up a tag match but he's likely not cleared, Seth has no clear challenger for his belt now and Priest still don't give a shit about him lmfao

Like at this point it feels like that belt is in the dirt lol

[Tom Turkey]

Feb 8, 2024 20:09:09 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

This was never "Always the plan", Cody hugged Rock and left like his whole family died, he was giving up the spot

Tonight they retconned it to the extreme, for GOOD REASON, but they are basically going to have to pretend Cody didn't walk out on Smackdown

And Seth looks like complete shit in all this, that belt is such a joke lol

Since they’re going with corporate hollywood asshole Rock, they can reconcile that Smackdown segment by having Cody going off on Rock, saying he got “bad counsel” from an egomaniac.

[ben:friendship frog]

Feb 8, 2024 20:09:09 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

This was never "Always the plan", Cody hugged Rock and left like his whole family died, he was giving up the spot

Tonight they retconned it to the extreme, for GOOD REASON, but they are basically going to have to pretend Cody didn't walk out on Smackdown

And Seth looks like complete shit in all this, that belt is such a joke lol

I think the idea is once Rock started shit talking the fans and going on about the family tree and how it's the only royal family in wrestling, Cody realised he'd been played.

[Final Countdown Jones]

If this was 'the plan all along', Smackdown would have made more sense. Part of why this got so shit on is how shitty it made Cody look. That's just spin they're feeding Dave to try and save face for the company and for Rock, don't buy that shit, especially when we've got SRS all but saying "Yeah Cody told me this is horseshit"

[The Rick Jericho]

So by definition Jey Uso just turned heel tonight too right?

DON'T DISRESPECT BLOOD?

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Feb 8, 2024 20:14:28 GMT -5 ben:friendship frog said:

Feb 8, 2024 20:09:09 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

This was never "Always the plan", Cody hugged Rock and left like his whole family died, he was giving up the spot

Tonight they retconned it to the extreme, for GOOD REASON, but they are basically going to have to pretend Cody didn't walk out on Smackdown

And Seth looks like complete shit in all this, that belt is such a joke lol

I think the idea is once Rock started shit talking the fans and going on about the family tree and how it's the only royal family in wrestling, Cody realised he'd been played.

It doesn't matter, Cody went "I never gave up my spot" and the dude said "I'll face you, but not at WrestleMania" on Smackdown

It's a retcon, I'm not like super mad about it because it was deserved, but it was definitely a retcon lol