When Cody Rhodes marched down to the ring for the main event of WrestleMania 39, he looked like a man with everything to gain, and nothing to lose.

Sure, he was set to face off against one of the most dominant performers the sport of professional wrestling has ever seen, a man who will live on forever on WWE's Mount Rushmore for his accomplishments in The Shield, as a singles babyface, and as the hellish “Tribal Chief,” but after spending months hyping up the match after a Royal Rumble winning return in San Antonio, it felt like the wind was at his side and the timing was right for a change at the top of the WWE card.

Oh, what a difference a year can make.

Fast forward to April of 2024, past a crushing defeat, a rubber chicken, feuds with Shinsuke Nakamura and Brock Lesnar, and Rhodes was back in the main event once more, but this time the stakes were much higher still, as if he didn't pull out the victory, well, he wasn't going to be able to challenge for the title his father never won again, at least while Reigns was on top holding the golden belt.

Marching to the ring in his usual gear but with an “American Nightmare” helmet on his head and his wife, Brandi Rhodes, by his side, Rhodes looked far more locked-in in South Philadelphia than SoCal, engaging with Reigns early on and running through much of the offense that was successful the night before in their Night 1 main event alongside The Rock and Seth Rollins. CrossRhodes were exchanged, as were spears, and just when it seemed like one mad had found a way to get the upper hand, the other punched back in a major way with some offense of his own.

But hey, wouldn't be a Bloodline main event without some outside interference, and this match was no exception, as, in a match booked under Bloodline Rules, Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and The Rock all came out to the ring to give an assist to their “Tribal Chief.” And yet, Rhodes isn't an island on his own, and when each of those men marched down to the ring for their big moment, the “American Nightmare” had a counter, with Jey Uso, John Cena, and the freakin' Undertaker helping to even the odds while the challenger and his Night 1 tag team partner looked to close things out against Reigns.

With the field down to three, with just Rhodes, Reigns, Rollins and a steel chair in the center of the ring, the “Head of the Table” had a decision to make, lay out the former and go in for the pin or hit the latter in revenge for his famous spot that split up The Shiled all of those years ago.

Reigns chose the latter, and while it must have felt good at the moment, in the end, Rhodes got the last laugh, as he capitalized on the distraction with a triforce of CrossRhodes for the 1-2-3 and secured the biggest and most important win of his professional wrestling career.

Welcome to the Cody Rhodes Era of WWE.

A lot has been written about this new era of WWE history, with some calling it the Renaissance Era and others going with the Paul Levesque Era but with his story now finished, it's clear fans can now prepare themselves for the Cody Rhodes Era, as the biggest babyface the promotion has had since John Cena now looks primed to be the face of the company, period.

That's right, after doing all of the charity work, doing all of the interviews, doing commercial voice-overs, and being on the face of the darn video game, Rhodes can now say he's the top dog in the promotion and if WWE is smart, they will push him to the moon in a way not seen since the “The Face That Runs the Place” was selling boatloads of merch at Walmarts, specialty shops, and live events alike.

And the best part, unlike Roman Reigns, who worked a very light schedule for the last two years, it looks like Rhodes is ready to take up the mantle and do his part to push professional wrestling to the biggest heights it has ever seen. Last year, Rhodes said he wants to be Triple H's quarterback; in 2024, Rhodes has not only been handed the ball and a helmet with the headset in it but has been given the fat, franchise QB prize that cements him as the new face of the industry.