As of right now, it’s still not exactly clear what Cody Rhodes will be doing at WWE WrestleMania 40, despite walking away from the WWE Royal Rumble as the winner. While most seem to agree that
the most logical route for Rhodes is to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, the sudden re-appearance of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has complicated that situation. Speaking on a recent edition of “Busted Open Radio,” former WWE star Tommy Dreamer offered his perspective on Rhodes and the company’s title picture....CONTINUE READING
“Over the weekend, I think Cody was trending for over 72 hours,” Dreamer said. “Then we have the follow-up. My initial reaction is: man, this is a tough one, because of business.”
Dreamer stated that there are many different options WWE could’ve gone with for WrestleMania, and these are always difficult decisions to make. If Rhodes hadn’t won the Royal Rumble, Dreamer thinks a match against Seth Rollins could have made a lot of sense.
As of now, Rollins is still attempting to goad Rhodes into another rematch. Back in 2022, the two WWE stars wrestled each other three times, with Rhodes pulling out the victory in all three matches. However, since winning the World Heavyweight Championship last year, Rollins has been on a hot streak. Still, Rollins vs. Rhodes IV feels far from a lock at this point.
WWE
With the position the company is in now, with various injuries and other circumstances taking wrestlers off the table for WrestleMania, they must now find a balance between what’s best for business and telling the most satisfying story. While tonight’s official WWE press conference could change the situation, it currently seems as though Rhodes is stepping aside to let Johnson face Reigns.
“I understand it,” Dreamer said regarding the situation. “I don’t like it, if I’m a fan, but then there’s always other factors that you have to really take [into account].”
According to Dreamer, this path may help Rhodes in the long run. The former ECW and current TNA star brought up several examples to illustrate his point. Dreamer recalled the ECW Barely Legal pay-per-view, when he was taken off the show at the last minute to allow Terry Funk to compete. Dreamer said this helped him become a bigger star over time. In a more recent example, Dreamer’s match at TNA Hard To Kill last month was moved to the pre-show, and these things are regular parts of life in the wrestling business.
As of now, it’s far from certain that Rhodes won’t face Reigns at WrestleMania. WWE has a history of booking star-studded Triple Threat matches at their biggest show of the year, and it would be hard to find greater star power than Johnson, Reigns, and Rhodes.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
