Subscribe
Follow Us
When Cody Rhodes broke the news that Jey Uso headed to RAW as the newest member of the roster during his appearance on the Grayson Waller effect on Payback, it got fans from around the world even more excited about the future of the Red Brand.
Imagine all of the different match combinations, the feuds, the friendships; the world was seemingly the younger Uso's oyster, and he was going to enjoy every second of it as WWE seemingly builds towards an Usos Civil War match at WrestleMania 40.
Well, at least one of those match combinations isn't going to happen anymore, as, according to Adam Pearce, SmackDown isn't letting one of its top stars leave without bringing someone back as compensation.
“Listen, I'm sure you noticed some of the locker room is not exactly happy that you're here,” Adam Pearce told Jey Uso. “I'm afraid it's gonna get worse before it gets better and here's why: upper management just let me know that SmackDown is getting trade compensation for you being here, okay? Somebody from RAW will be traded to SmackDown at some point soon, and depending on who that ends up being, it might p*ss some people off and I wanted you to have heads up.”
Oh no, while it's clear more than a few members of the RAW roster – read: Drew McIntyre and Matt Riddle – aren't particularly happy to see Uso in their locker room, things are going to get even worse if a popular performer, someone like, say, Cody Rhodes, was to leave because of his addition.
… do you know what? Rhodes actually makes perfect sense as the man who should be traded to SmackDown for Uso, as, based on how things are shaking up, it would appear he might have even requested the swap. Here are three reasons why Rhodes may be heading to SmackDown in an Ucey roster swap.
3. Cody Rhodes has unfinished business with Grayson Waller.
Taking things back to Payback for a moment, before Rhodes revealed the addition of Uso, he got into things a little bit with the “Aussie Icon,” with the duo exchanging words over their mutual disrespect for each other. While Rhodes left the ring for obvious reasons before things could get physical, leaving Uso to Superkick Waller for good measure, it's hard to argue that the two performers don't have some unfinished business left to attend to.
If Rhodes jumps ship to SmackDown, he can go for that “Grayson Waller Bump” on the weekly and maybe even build things up to a match between the duo either at Fastlane or as the set-up match for a contest against an even bigger-named performer like, oh, I don't know, the “Greatest Of All Time?”
2. John Cena is on SmackDown through October.
Speaking of contests against even bigger-named performers, who could Rhodes wrestle that fits that bill better than the performer many fans widely consider to be the “GOAT,” John Cena?
Like Waller, Cena is a member of SmackDown, with appearances booked for the rest of the month on the Blue Brand save Friday, when much of the roster will be heading to India for Superstar Spectacle, in addition to multiple appearances in October. Considering Rhodes has already mentioned on multiple occasions his admiration for and desire to wrestle “The Face That Runs the Place” during this current run in WWE, maybe Rhodes could add that dream match to his “American Nightmare” resume before he fishes out his Bowser Halloween costume from his closet.
1. The Bloodline is on SmackDown.
And last but not least, why should Rhodes leave RAW behind for a spot on SmackDown? Well, because The Bloodline – save Jey Uso, who is excommunicado from the faction – are on SmackDown, and if Rhodes really wants to complete his story, he'll have to work a proper program with Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and company before he can get another shot at Roman Reigns.
Now granted, would it have been cool to see Rhodes challenge Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship? Sure, Rhodes vs. Rollins was one of the best feuds of 2022, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque committed some serious time to planting the seeds that there still might be some animosity between the duo despite their shared friendship with Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. Still, Rhodes has noted on multiple occasions that the only way he can really #FinishTheStory is to win the title his father challenged for, the WWE Championship, which is part of the lineage of Reigns' Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, and SmackDown is where he needs to be to make that happen.
