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After securing a win in the opening match of Bash in Berlin, beating Kevin Owens in a match that had more to do with the ties of friendship than anything particularly compelling in the ring, fans of WWE around the globe had one question in mind: who will Cody Rhodes wrestle next.
Now sure, working a bout against KO is fine, right up there with Rhodes' program against AJ Styles or even Shinsuke Nakamura last year, but when you consider that basically no one saw the “Prize Fighter” as a legitimate challenger for the WWE Championship, the match felt more like filler than a compelling entre for fans to sink their teeth into.
But who would be a compelling foe for Rhodes? Roman Reigns appears to be off of television for the foreseeable future after taking a beatdown at the hands of The Bloodline, the “American Nightmare” already has a win over Solo Sikoa and any other left-field option from SmackDown like, say, Logan Paul just feels like treading water until a part-timer returns to the ring for a spectacle match.
How about Randy Orton, one of Rhodes' oldest friends and his former in-ring factionmate as a member of Legacy? Well one reporter asked the “American Nightmare” that very question during the Bash in Berlin post-show presser and received a very interesting answer from Rhodes for more reasons than one.
“In terms of him eyeing the title, I have seen a lot of rumbling in terms of him, you know, your ear to the ground; you feel like people might want to see that match. It's a very, very different match from when I first showed up on Monday Night RAW, and the first person I wrestled was actually Randy Orton,” Rhodes recalled. “Gosh, I don't want to give you a bad answer but that match, a lot would have to happen for that match to take place. Again, that's a very real relationship and friendship and the mentor and the student, but it's certainly not something I would back down from because, like I just said, sometimes the people you want to know how you have grown the most is the ones closest to you, and nobody's closer to me than Randy Orton. So if it happens, that's a lot of drama. As The Bloodline fans like to say, that's a lot of cinema, but right now no plans for it.”
Alright, so on paper, Rhodes is correct; while wrestling Orton now in a babyface versus babyface match could happen, as that is exactly the same story WWE just told with Owens, the prospects of bringing back the hellish “Viper” fans have come to know and love would really take things up a notch, creating the sort of bitter blood feud that might even be more compelling than a rematch against Reigns or a singles match with The Rock. While it probably won't happen any time soon, should that day eventually come, gosh, it would be easily the most compelling feud of Rhodes' current WWE Championship run.
"A lot would have to happen for that match to take place… nobody is as close to me as Randy Orton"
Cody Rhodes on him facing Randy Orton for the WWE Championship 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1WG0wziCLe
— 𝙎𝙖𝙢 (@RhodesKotaEra) August 31, 2024
Cody Rhodes embraces the challenge of being WWE Champion
Later in his press conference, Rhodes touched on what it's like to be the WWE Champion after spending a year and a half chasing the prize.
While Rhodes admits the experience has been different from what he expected, with plenty more external responsibilities than he initially assumed, in the end, being WWE Champion has lived up to his wildest dreams and more.
“You know, I dreamed of, this is the big thing I wanted, to win the WWE Title and be the first Rhodes to win the biggest prize in our game, but I can say it's not been what I've envisioned as much as I could have never guessed I could have never guessed with a lifetime of building up to it the amount of responsibility that is handed to you. In terms of how you do the live events, in terms of how you go about doing your press, your meet and greets, just every piece of it. I thought I had a lifetime to prepare for it,” Rhodes told reporters.
“And I remember Roman Reigns actually said something to me in an interview, face-to-face, he was talking about the idea of if, if I get to the edge of the mountain and get to do this, that I would be really tired and I don't like the ‘T' word at all, I don't believe in it in our industry, I think the grind is a good thing, but I can definitely say that there was some truth to what he was saying. Because it's a different type of responsibility, I'm also having the most fun I've ever had in my life. I really am, but with every step you make, it affects the WWE, and that's just a lot of responsibility. So, if anything, it's made me as, of course, a pro wrestler sports entertainer, but I hope it's also made me better as someone here in this company, in WWE, and I guess just my business savvy, as Mr. Heyman always calls it, in terms of navigating a future in pro wrestling once I officially hang up the boots.”
After watching Reigns play a more passive role in the WWE Universe when he was holding the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, showing up for big shows, doing occasional press, and using his presence more as a special event than a weekly fixture, Rhodes has defaulted to the John Cena school of thought, with the “American Nightmare” appearing on television weekly, wrestling on every PLE, and doing charity work as often as possible. While some may suggest that his decisions are why he hasn't headlined two of the last three PLEs, it's clear Rhodes is following his preferred path to a T and is proud of the results he's seen thus far.
