After running through why he feels as though he deserves a rematch against Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship, a belt that means the world to him due to its 60-year length, Cody Rhodes delivered a promo, just a few sentences really, that has not only set social media ablaze and potentially turned the IWC against one of its greatest success stories, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, but potentially changed the course of his career forever.

“Let me ask you, what is finishing the story, because I've heard you say all of this is yours; this ring, the canvas, the ropes, that camera, the announce desk, all of these people. You all belong to Roman Reigns, apparently!” Cody Rhodes announced to the crowd in Birmingham, Alabama. “So, is finishing the story taking that championship from you? Or is finishing the story taking everything from you? Let me make it abundantly clear: I want that title. As a matter of fact, I'm moving my own goalposts. I want that title, and I want everything from you, and I'm coming; I'm coming for you, Roman Reigns, but not at WrestleMania. I mentioned taking counsel. Roman, one of the individuals I talked to, knows you very well.”

Now, in the moment, this announcement barely had a chance to sit with fans, as it brought out “The Great One” mere moments later to resounding cheers from fans in the arena, but as the statement has sat with fans over the proceeding hours, it has become more and more confusing, as it pretty much flies in the face of everything Rhodes has stood for since making his mission statement in the lead-up to last year's WrestleMania.

Need proof? Well look no further than Rhodes' own words from literally last weeks as, in the lead-up to the Royal Rumble, the “American Nightmare” laid out his very specific requirements to “Finish the Story” on Busted Open Radio, which, at the time at least, had to happen at WrestleMania and had to happen against Roman Reigns.

“I don't think I have a definitive answer, but I will tell you, I think it does. The reason being, if last year, the match had gone differently. If last year Roman had just beaten me 1-2-3, right in the middle, I just crumbled under the lights, and I wasn't on his level, that's a different story,” Cody Rhodes told Busted Open Radio via Fightful. “The way the match unfolded and the year I have, it feels like it has to be at WrestleMania. It just seems like it's coming full circle. Everything can change. You have to get to WrestleMania in the first place, whether you win the Royal Rumble or the Elimination Chamber. It's not an easy task. It would have been different if this was the first time. I feel like the rematch needs to take place where the original match took place. Just my gut. Is there a world where it doesn't happen there, sure, perhaps, but in my lay down at night and go to sleep dreams, it would be at WrestleMania, especially since I love Philadelphia.”

… yeah, that's pretty definitive, isn't it? As was the moment where he screamed “I want you!” at Royal Rumble in Tropicana Field after outlasting 29 other men in the main event to punch his ticket to WrestleMania 40, an image that will likely live on as the defining picture of the entire show. Needless to say, Rhodes had better have something to say on the matter on RAW this week; otherwise, the fan outrage will only grow stronger.

Don't expect Cody Rhodes on the cover of WWE 2K25.

Speaking of Cody Rhodes' comments that have aged particularly well in the aftermath of The Rock's return, the “American Nightmare” discussed his spot as the WWE 2K24 cover star and what it meant to have his “story” as part of the game in an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.

“The most exciting element of ‘finishing the story’ making it into 2K24 is that it’s all happening in real-time. I was just in a WrestleMania 39 ring basically replicating the saddest moment I’ve ever had in my career. In a wild way, it was also incredibly rewarding. I got to make the walk and main event a WrestleMania. Still, you have to win. That’s the whole point. And that’s what is happening in real-time,” Cody Rhodes told Sports Illustrated.

“WrestleMania 39, I don’t want to say I shrunk under the lights, but it hit me harder than it hit Roman Reigns. Roman has been in those main events before. If anything, it motivated me further. It’s not just about being in the main event. It’s not about being happy to make the walk. You have to win.”

At the time, Rhodes was incredibly confident in his ability to return to the main event of Mania later this year, so much so that he definitively stated that if he doesn't “finish the story” this year, he doesn't think he deserves a spot on the cover of next year's game.

“If I haven’t finished the story by WWE 2K25, don’t bring me back for the commercial,” said Rhodes. “Don’t put me on the cover, don’t put me anywhere near it. I won’t deserve it. But it’s fun that this is happening in real time, and we all get to experience it together.”

Goodness, you have to feel for Rhodes at the moment, as he was so confident in his spot as the next face of WWE that he made some pretty bold statements that he'll have to reckon with moving forward due to no fault of his own. While this could all work out in the end for the “American Nightmare,” things aren't looking particularly good for Rhodes at the moment.