Cody Rhodes is the new face of WWE. He was rightfully chosen after proving everyone wrong. Rhodes is popular with the kids and the adults; he goes to every show and performs his best and most importantly, is a character people can look up to. When he returned in 2022, there were many doubts about whether he would succeed or not. He over-exceeded all the expectations anyone had of him. That’s why he moved up the pecking order in WWE.
One has to “sacrifice” a few people to move up that order. WWE did it as well. After all, someone has to be put down so that someone can be put over. These are some of the future Hall of Famers “sacrificed” by Triple H to ensure Cody Rhodes stays at the top
Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins was Cody’s first feud coming back in 2022. Rhodes was Rollins’ mystery opponent at WrestleMania 38. They produced a banger with Cody winning that match. The feud didn’t get over there as they had another match at Backlash which again, Cody won.
This led to the feud heating up, and both were booked for a Hell in a Cell match. Before the PLE, Cody tore his pectoral muscle. He still fought Seth in that PLE. The bout started with a great visual of Cody slowly opening his jacket to reveal his injury.
It was an awe-inspiring moment for WWE fans, and he earned their respect after giving a 5-star match to them. Cody Rhodes won that match as well and ended the feud with Rollins.
Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns was the final boss of WWE. His tribal chief persona reinvigorated him. People wanted to know who would ultimately beat this “Reign of Terror”. Enter Cody Rhodes.
Rhodes became embedded into the Bloodline story after winning the 2023 Royal Rumble. He and Reigns were engaged in something that would turn personal. Reigns somehow escaped with the title at Mania 39 with the help of Solo Sikoa.
Cody had to do it all over again. He again won the Royal Rumble the following year. There were a few obstacles in the way(which he will mention later on), but Rhodes ended up epically beating Reigns. It was one of 2024’s best matches and one of modern WWE’s most iconic moments.
Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes got into a feud with each other after Lesnar attacked the latter at the Raw after Mania 39. It led to a classic David vs Goliath story.
Lesnar was the “beast” while Cody was the hero trying to slay it. At Backlash 2023, Cody somehow won by reversing Brock’s Kimura Lock with a roll-up. Lesnar got a win back at Night of Champions 2023 after Brock’s Kimura Lock made Cody pass out,
Cody, determined to get his revenge, challenged Brock to a match at Summerslam. The latter accepted, and it led to a banger match at the PLE. Brock tried to finish it up fast by destroying Rhodes. Cody didn’t give up and fought back with steel steps. “The American Nightmare” pinned Lesnar after three Cross Rhodes. After the match, Brock shook Cody’s hand, signaling a “passing of the torch” moment.
This was Lesnar’s last match as he got embroiled in Vince McMahon’s lawsuit and was never seen on TV ever again.
AJ Styles
AJ Styles and Cody Rhodes were engaged in a somewhat personal feud after WrestleMania 40. Styles won a No.1 Contenders tournament for the WWE title. Cody beat Styles in a 5-star match at Backlash France.
The feud continued after a brief lull when Styles tricked Cody into thinking that he was retiring. It led to a violent “I Quit” Match at Clash of the Castle: Scotland, which Cody won.
Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes never had a feud or even fought with each other. Zayn’s “sacrifice” was him losing to Roman Reigns in an amazing match at Elimination Chamber: Montreal and then acting as the support for Cody post that match.
Zayn and his friend Kevin Owens did fight Cody and Jey Uso for their tag titles, but they lost that match. After that, both aligned with each other against the Judgement Day.
Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes just concluded a deeply personal feud with each other. Owens was Cody’s friend and was aligned with him as they fought the Judgement Day and the Bloodline (the old and the new).
Tensions sparked up when Cody chose Owens as the challenger to his WWE title. Cody beat Owens at Bash in Berlin, but the latter hadn’t yet turned his back on his friend. KO lost it after “Bad Blood” when Cody and Roman Reigns tagged with each other. He attacked Rhodes after the match and went on a rampage.
Owens took out Randy Orton for months, which led to a WWE title match between them at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Rhodes won that match in a “clean-ish” fashion. KO, angered by his loss, drove Cody’s neck to the mat with a package piledriver.
Cody took his revenge on Owens at the Royal Rumble this year. They both had a brutal ladder match, which ended with Cody giving Owens an Alabama Slam on the ladder outside the ring. Rhodes climbed the ladder and retrieved the title, ending the Owens chapter once and for all.
The Rock/Dwayne Johnson
The involvement of the Rock/Dwayne Johnson elevated Cody Rhodes’ story at WrestleMania 40. Initially, The Rock came back last year to face his cousin Roman Reigns, but fan reception ensured that the WWE would pivot.
This led to Johnson becoming “The Final Boss”- a more sinister version of the character that has never been seen before. Cody and Seth Rollins faced the Rock and Roman Reigns in a tag match at WrestleMania 40 Night One. The Rock tortured Rhodes in the build-up to the match. The Rock made Rhodes look sympathetic by making him “bleed” and whipping him.
The Rock’s plan failed at Mania 40. He did win the tag match, but could not prevent the title match’s eventual result. “The Final Boss” hasn’t yet given up, though.
He tried to ensure Cody sold his “soul” to him this year but failed. At the Elimination Chamber PLE, he made John Cena “sell his soul,” which led to a brutal attack on Cody.
Cena is now the new agent of Rock’s plans. What will happen next? We have to wait for WrestleMania 41 to get all those updates.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
