After bouncing around the WWE Universe over the past few months, taking part in a few side quests during the promotion's lesser summertime PLEs, Cody Rhodes has finally returned to the task at hand: fully defeating The Bloodline once and for all.
That's right, after taking the loss to Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu alongside Kevin Owens and Randy Orton at Money in the Bank in Toronto, Rhodes will officially wrestle the new “Tribal Chief” at SummerSlam in Cleveland, Ohio with the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on the line.
If he wins, Rhodes will remain WWE's top star, babyface or otherwise. And if he loses? Well, The Bloodline will recapture the belt they popularized, and the moniker of “Tribal Chief” will again be synonymous with the top prize on SmackDown.
Stopping by ESPN to discuss the prospects of wrestling Sikoa one-on-one, Rhodes noted that he's excited for the challenge but notes that he may not be the final “Tribal Chief” gunning for his belt, as he'd be happy to put down The Rock one-on-one in the future too.
“Well, this weekend, SummerSlam is one of WWE's big four PLE pay-per-view events. This, hopefully, in an entertaining way, is a bit of a repeat of what we got at WrestleMania, which was the biggest show in wrestling history,” Cody Rhodes told ESPN via Fightful. “I defeated The Tribal Chief, the True Tribal Chief, that being Roman Reigns. I look to defeat the pretender, Solo Sokoa, at SummerSlam. If you're also someone in The Bloodline, perhaps named The Rock, we'll be watching because if you claim The Tribal Chief mantle next, same thing will happen to you.”
Now, for in the know fans of professional wrestling, this isn't the first time Rhodes has talked smack on The Rock in the lead-up to SummerSlam, as when he was on Busted Open Radio, he used some of his time to discuss his spot in WrestleMania XL: Behind the Curtain, where the “Final Boss” showcased some of his lowest moments for the world to enjoy.
“They got me at my lowest point. A lot of the capture was potentially a second part for my documentary. So much of that capture ended up going towards behind-the-scenes. I thought Ben Houser did a great job handling the four guys,” Rhodes explained via Fightful.
“To me, it's really a documentary more about Triple H and The Rock, and seeing that relationship come together. I watched enough of it to feel like, ‘I don't want to relive this moment.' I don't want to relive that moment in Birmingham, walking back, where I didn't even walk through Gorilla, I went around it, to go to my bus, just because I didn't want to pretend. This is not okay. I'm also a wrestler and a professional, and we shook hands, so look each other in the eye and move on. They caught me at the lowest point, and it was a little tough to watch. A little too close for me. I thought Ben Houser did a great job with it.”
Would it be cool to see Rhodes and Rock throw down in a singles match? Yes. Will that happen this year, either at a show like Bad Blood or as part of a WarGames match at Survivor Series? I mean, probably not, but hey, you never really know what The Rock has cooking until he cooks it up.
Cody Rhodes reveals how WWE revitalized his love of wrestling
Elsewhere on his pre-SummerSlam media tour, Rhodes sat down with The Miz on his What Do You Want To Talk About? podcast to discuss the big show and how exciting it is to be a member of the WWE Universe right now.
While Rhodes is proud of his entire career and how he helped to revolutionize the industry heading into this boom period, he also acknowledged that returning to WWE in Dallas really helped to rekindle his love for the industry and his hope of becoming a true top guy.
“I feel I was so caught up in the moment of the revolution that was happening, and wanting to be the guy they trusted the most with the revolution, wanting to be the guy they trusted the most when all these changes are happening. The world is opening up, and wrestlers are coming straight from the independents as they are to a big-time TV setting, I just wanted to be the face of all of that. I feel like I focused heavily on it, not realizing, ‘Is this working? Is it not working? Is this taking off?'” Cody Rhodes told The Miz via Fightful.
“Especially with AEW, I was very in the moment. ‘We're going to do this. It's going to be great.' By the time I came back at WrestleMania, my feeling was, ‘I think I'll be well-received, but I might also be booed as the guy who went away and did all these things.' I would never say I was just happy to be there, but at that point in my career, it was about providing for my family and the best thing for my family. Then, as soon as I came back, instance to walking out, it had rekindled, not just my love for pro wrestling, but it rekindled the feeling of ‘I can get to the top. It's not lost yet. I still have a shot at it.'”
Would Rhodes have become a top guy in WWE if he didn't leave for AEW? No. Would Rhodes have become a top guy in AEW after throwing away his shot at the World Championship? No, probably not. As crazy as it may sound, the “American Nightmare” pretty perfectly threaded the needle between the two companies, played his cards perfectly, and is now reaping the benefits of his “bet on myself” mentality.
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