The Cody Rhodes Story Thread (IT'S OVER)

[Jindrak Mark]

If you're Cody and after all this is over you can go back in time what do you choose:

A) Win the title at Mania 39, have a solid title reign then end up in a high-profile match at Mania 40 but maybe not necessarily the main event.

B) Lose at Mania 39, get a second Rumble win/Mania main event and take the title at Mania 40.

I think I'd take B. 2 Rumble wins, 3 Mania main events, ending Roman's 4 year reign reign, people choosing you over Rock. I think it's at the point where this win will be more iconic than it would have been last year.

This dude is teflon somehow. That injury in 2022 and losing at Mania in 2023 are setbacks on paper but somehow they helped his overall story and he might not have reached the same level of popularity without them.

Like if he won last year and already had his title reign I don't think he has people starting campaigns for him this year and that notoriety of people demanding you over Rock is the type of thing that will be talked about for decades and I think takes him from really popular main event wrestler ala Batista to the babyface icon of his generation ala Cena.

[Lizuka #BLM]

This isn't worth its own thread but still wondering why the hell McAfee said Solo isn't Ken Shamrock.

[Mozenrath]

Apr 1, 2024 23:32:07 GMT -5 Jindrak Mark said:

If you're Cody and after all this is over you can go back in time what do you choose:

A) Win the title at Mania 39, have a solid title reign then end up in a high-profile match at Mania 40 but maybe not necessarily the main event.

B) Lose at Mania 39, get a second Rumble win/Mania main event and take the title at Mania 40.

I think I'd take B. 2 Rumble wins, 3 Mania main events, ending Roman's 4 year reign reign, people choosing you over Rock. I think it's at the point where this win will be more iconic than it would have been last year.

This dude is teflon somehow. That injury in 2022 and losing at Mania in 2023 are setbacks on paper but somehow they helped his overall story and he might not have reached the same level of popularity without them.

Like if he won last year and already had his title reign I don't think he has people starting campaigns for him this year and that notoriety of people demanding you over Rock is the type of thing that will be talked about for decades and I think takes him from really popular main event wrestler ala Batista to the babyface icon of his generation ala Cena.

I think that Cody is very good, but he also feels like he's benefiting from being the right guy at the right time. Not to diminish him, he's probably my favorite main eventer in North America today, but because he is hitting all the right notes when audiences are very receptive to it. The way he presents himself is just something people are really in the mood for.

[Lizuka #BLM]

Apr 1, 2024 23:48:06 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Apr 1, 2024 23:32:07 GMT -5 Jindrak Mark said:

If you're Cody and after all this is over you can go back in time what do you choose:

A) Win the title at Mania 39, have a solid title reign then end up in a high-profile match at Mania 40 but maybe not necessarily the main event.

B) Lose at Mania 39, get a second Rumble win/Mania main event and take the title at Mania 40.

I think I'd take B. 2 Rumble wins, 3 Mania main events, ending Roman's 4 year reign reign, people choosing you over Rock. I think it's at the point where this win will be more iconic than it would have been last year.

This dude is teflon somehow. That injury in 2022 and losing at Mania in 2023 are setbacks on paper but somehow they helped his overall story and he might not have reached the same level of popularity without them.

Like if he won last year and already had his title reign I don't think he has people starting campaigns for him this year and that notoriety of people demanding you over Rock is the type of thing that will be talked about for decades and I think takes him from really popular main event wrestler ala Batista to the babyface icon of his generation ala Cena.

I think that Cody is very good, but he also feels like he's benefiting from being the right guy at the right time. Not to diminish him, he's probably my favorite main eventer in North America today, but because he is hitting all the right notes when audiences are very receptive to it. The way he presents himself is just something people are really in the mood for.

It does kind of feel like Cody would not be as over as he is right now if Roman as a face hadn't been a failure and they hadn't spent so much of the past decade having the main event scene be an endless rotation of unstoppable super heels. The company is in desperate need of a wholesome underdog face on top of the mountain right now.

[Renslayer]

Apr 1, 2024 23:32:07 GMT -5 Jindrak Mark said:

If you're Cody and after all this is over you can go back in time what do you choose:

A) Win the title at Mania 39, have a solid title reign then end up in a high-profile match at Mania 40 but maybe not necessarily the main event.

B) Lose at Mania 39, get a second Rumble win/Mania main event and take the title at Mania 40.

I think I'd take B. 2 Rumble wins, 3 Mania main events, ending Roman's 4 year reign reign, people choosing you over Rock. I think it's at the point where this win will be more iconic than it would have been last year.

This dude is teflon somehow. That injury in 2022 and losing at Mania in 2023 are setbacks on paper but somehow they helped his overall story and he might not have reached the same level of popularity without them.

Like if he won last year and already had his title reign I don't think he has people starting campaigns for him this year and that notoriety of people demanding you over Rock is the type of thing that will be talked about for decades and I think takes him from really popular main event wrestler ala Batista to the babyface icon of his generation ala Cena.

You take B every time. This two year run has cemented him as one of Roman's all time greatest rivals, the match last year was amazing and people have been itching for a rematch ever since, and now he can legitimately rub shoulders with the all time greats in wrestling history. It's why I always laugh when I saw people call him a bitch, loser, whatever. A bunch of folks doubted him and now look where he is

[EoE: Workin On My Night Cheese]

Apr 1, 2024 23:51:56 GMT -5 Renslayer said:

Apr 1, 2024 23:32:07 GMT -5 Jindrak Mark said:

If you're Cody and after all this is over you can go back in time what do you choose:

A) Win the title at Mania 39, have a solid title reign then end up in a high-profile match at Mania 40 but maybe not necessarily the main event.

B) Lose at Mania 39, get a second Rumble win/Mania main event and take the title at Mania 40.

I think I'd take B. 2 Rumble wins, 3 Mania main events, ending Roman's 4 year reign reign, people choosing you over Rock. I think it's at the point where this win will be more iconic than it would have been last year.

This dude is teflon somehow. That injury in 2022 and losing at Mania in 2023 are setbacks on paper but somehow they helped his overall story and he might not have reached the same level of popularity without them.

Like if he won last year and already had his title reign I don't think he has people starting campaigns for him this year and that notoriety of people demanding you over Rock is the type of thing that will be talked about for decades and I think takes him from really popular main event wrestler ala Batista to the babyface icon of his generation ala Cena.

You take B every time. This two year run has cemented him as one of Roman's all time greatest rivals, the match last year was amazing and people have been itching for a rematch ever since, and now he can legitimately rub shoulders with the all time greats in wrestling history. It's why I always laugh when I saw people call him a bitch, loser, whatever. A bunch of folks doubted him and now look where he is

A lot of that is the historical baggage, as I always call it. Everybody was ready to write him off because that was usually what WWE did with a result like that… Write them off as a potential top star. That baggage is why so many are not going 100% on Rhodes winning here.

My question is… Will that baggage start to go away if Rhodes wins, with no swerve to rob him of the belt straight away? Probably not. One happy ending doesn’t cancel out all the bad ones, but hopefully fans might just start letting things play out again, and some day WWE can just be a normal-ass wrestling company, and not those weirdos always actively trying to piss you off.

[Mozenrath]

Apr 1, 2024 23:49:43 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

Apr 1, 2024 23:48:06 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

I think that Cody is very good, but he also feels like he's benefiting from being the right guy at the right time. Not to diminish him, he's probably my favorite main eventer in North America today, but because he is hitting all the right notes when audiences are very receptive to it. The way he presents himself is just something people are really in the mood for.

It does kind of feel like Cody would not be as over as he is right now if Roman as a face hadn't been a failure and they hadn't spent so much of the past decade having the main event scene be an endless rotation of unstoppable super heels. The company is in desperate need of a wholesome underdog face on top of the mountain right now.

I agree, but I also think it helps that he isn't an "aw shucks, I'm lucky to be here" guy, at least, not entirely. He can do humble, but he also carries himself like he's a big deal, and fans also know he will go to bat for himself, that he was willing to walk away when the company didn't see him as a star, and I think people respect someone who bets on themselves.

I like Kofi, but after what happened with him, there's definitely such a thing as being too humble and too willing to be a team player.

[UN PLOMBIER NIGHTMARE #blm]

Apr 2, 2024 0:01:45 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Apr 1, 2024 23:49:43 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

It does kind of feel like Cody would not be as over as he is right now if Roman as a face hadn't been a failure and they hadn't spent so much of the past decade having the main event scene be an endless rotation of unstoppable super heels. The company is in desperate need of a wholesome underdog face on top of the mountain right now.

I agree, but I also think it helps that he isn't an "aw shucks, I'm lucky to be here" guy, at least, not entirely. He can do humble, but he also carries himself like he's a big deal, and fans also know he will go to bat for himself, that he was willing to walk away when the company didn't see him as a star, and I think people respect someone who bets on themselves.

I like Kofi, but after what happened with him, there's definitely such a thing as being too humble and too willing to be a team player.

also why all of us were so quick to jump up and be like “wtf” after wm 39, that next Raw he pulled a kofi and basically just said shucks oh well.

over the year he gradually got a much more defined and confident character, one that wwe has needed for so long when it comes to faces

[Mozenrath]

Apr 2, 2024 0:06:40 GMT -5 UN PLOMBIER NIGHTMARE #blm said:

Apr 2, 2024 0:01:45 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

I agree, but I also think it helps that he isn't an "aw shucks, I'm lucky to be here" guy, at least, not entirely. He can do humble, but he also carries himself like he's a big deal, and fans also know he will go to bat for himself, that he was willing to walk away when the company didn't see him as a star, and I think people respect someone who bets on themselves.

I like Kofi, but after what happened with him, there's definitely such a thing as being too humble and too willing to be a team player.

also why all of us were so quick to jump up and be like “wtf” after wm 39, that next Raw he pulled a kofi and basically just said shucks oh well.

over the year he gradually got a much more defined and confident character, one that wwe has needed for so long when it comes to faces

I gave him a pass on it since Lesnar basically gave him no room to deal with Roman for a few months. It wasn't like when Kofi just seemed to not give a shit about Lesnar beating him until he randomly remembered one Royal Rumble.

[chazraps]

Apr 1, 2024 23:43:18 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

This isn't worth its own thread but still wondering why the hell McAfee said Solo isn't Ken Shamrock.

That one time Ken had someone in an ankle lock and took several chair shots without releasing it.

[Schizo]

Apr 1, 2024 23:43:18 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

This isn't worth its own thread but still wondering why the hell McAfee said Solo isn't Ken Shamrock.

Because, quite clearly, Solo is not, in fact, Ken Shamrock. He’s just pointing out the obvious 🤷

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Apr 1, 2024 23:43:18 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

This isn't worth its own thread but still wondering why the hell McAfee said Solo isn't Ken Shamrock.

Pat has quickly become the worst commentator in wrestling to me since Kevin Kelly got fired, I can't stand this dude lol

[Starshine]

Look, have you guys ever seen Solo around whenever Ken was "in that zone"?

I'm just asking questions, man.

[Perd]

I think it was a coded message.

Solo isn’t kin. Sham Rock.

Solo isn’t actually related to anybody in the Bloodline. And this isn’t the real Rock. This whole house of cards is about to come crashing down.

[The Heartbreak TWERK]

Apr 2, 2024 0:53:26 GMT -5 Perd said:

Sham Rock.

[yokohamacpfc]

Cody's winning on Sunday but I'm 100% certain that an hour before bell time they (it'll probably be Heyman) will tell him, "Plans have changed, it's now a three-way and Dwayne is going over" as a rib.

[Feargus McReddit]

My issue again with this past year is that they didn’t really do much to have Cody want to chase Roman to get his title back. Have him mention that he got screwed and too many people have just gone “Ahh well, them’s the breaks” and want to fight him whenever except Brock/Judgment Day/Whoever say otherwise and you get feuds going from now until Rumble season where he wins it (and I know that seemed to happen for the tag match but it was only for that tag match before Brock killed him for reasons nobody knows outside of the booking team) He’d have some challenger’s back in their matches if it wasn’t for those. And for the love of God, stop hyping Roman up as the greatest thing for most of the year even though we can see he clearly cheats and has Solo or any Uso help him out and now just remember that he does that.

And to the point about choice…A. Easily A. Look, I get the idea that his reign was solidified this past year but you’re a company looking to make money. This dude comes in and right away gives you a boatload in a way nobody else has for years with a dude who already doesn’t come in much or build matches much because of that. You had a pre-made story with the Usos losing the tag titles too and Roman acting like their loss was bigger. Go with that. If it doesn’t work out, you just give Roman the belt back and do what you were going to do anyway. Problem solved.

[A Platypus Rave is Correct]

Apr 2, 2024 1:00:50 GMT -5 The Heartbreak TWERK said:

Apr 2, 2024 0:53:26 GMT -5 Perd said:

Sham Rock.

I love the story that one of the agents (maybe Dusty or HHH) told her never to do that again...

I choose to believe she did it as bad as possible to get that reaction >_>

[A Platypus Rave is Correct]

Apr 2, 2024 1:53:02 GMT -5 Feargus McReddit said:

My issue again with this past year is that they didn’t really do much to have Cody want to chase Roman to get his title back. Have him mention that he got screwed and too many people have just gone “Ahh well, them’s the breaks” and want to fight him whenever except Brock/Judgment Day/Whoever say otherwise and you get feuds going from now until Rumble season where he wins it (and I know that seemed to happen for the tag match but it was only for that tag match before Brock killed him for reasons nobody knows outside of the booking team) He’d have some challenger’s back in their matches if it wasn’t for those. And for the love of God, stop hyping Roman up as the greatest thing for most of the year even though we can see he clearly cheats and has Solo or any Uso help him out and now just remember that he does that.

One of the worst calls recently was Cole saying something like You can disagree with his tactics but you can't argue with the results it's why he's the GOAT!

yes, you can argue his f***ing tactics... and you should be... you're the play by play commentator and the voice of the company you should be pointing out that for all of his bluster Roman has almost never won clean in this title reign.

[Feargus McReddit]

Apr 2, 2024 2:27:39 GMT -5 A Platypus Rave is Correct said:

One of the worst calls recently was Cole saying something like You can disagree with his tactics but you can't argue with the results it's why he's the GOAT!

yes, you can argue his f***ing tactics... and you should be... you're the play by play commentator and the voice of the company you should be pointing out that for all of his bluster Roman has almost never won clean in this title reign.

And you use that in the stories. One of the reasons Drew could have genuinely won at Clash at the Castle was because he took away some of Roman’s advantage of the Usos and not to do with the fact they couldn’t enter the country because of DUI charges so (as much as the finish being the thing to put me off WWE TV for good) bringing in Solo made sense. But there was Cole listing off the names of people he beat like most of them weren’t because of cheating and underhanded tactics.

It’d be like if Jim Ross spent most of the HHH reign of terror going “You got to respect the way he gets wins” when Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Batista were the reasons he was champion at all.