After officially accepting The Rock's terms for a tag team match in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes was booked for a special interview with Michael Cole on RAW, where he would be afforded a chance to speak his mind on the massive undertaking.
Only, at least initially, Cole had a different question in mind for the “American Nightmare” regarding Mania: can Rhodes really trust Seth Rollins?
“People change, Michael,” Cody Rhodes noted. “It wasn't long ago that you were sitting over there in a plexiglass enclosure wearing a Syracuse wrestling singlet, heckling each and every one of the boys. H*ll, I went off in the distance, I smashed the throne, and the person who sits on that throne has now become my closest working ally. I even teamed with Jey Uso. Seth Rollins and I haven't always gotten along, that's true, but he has always had my respect. And if I have to go to war with anybody, I am happily doing it with Seth Rollins. Besides that, this is my one shot, the one opportunity at getting a fair fight on Night 2 against Roman Reigns.”
From there, Rhodes turned everyone's attention to the Titantron, where he showed Cole asking him a question about finishing the story last October. While the question felt like distant history to many fans now, as a lot has changed within the WWE Universe over the last six months, for Rhodes, it remains relevant because his goal really hasn't changed at all.
— WWE (@WWE) March 12, 2024
Cody Rhodes remains fixed on finishing the story for everyone engaged.
After giving everyone a chance to take in Michael Cole's previous question, Cody Rhodes cut back into the conversation, informing the long-time voice of WWE why he still needs to finish the story for everyone who has something to fight for, not just his own satisfaction.
“That was a good question, Michael, even now. Here's another one: do I look nervous? H*ll, even frightened? I'll be honest, I'm nervous, I'm scared, and I know all of the old head podcasters who want this to be Jerry Springer TV can't believe it, ‘He's out there in a suit, he's using big words, he's telling us that he's afraid.' I have every reason to be afraid, I can't say, ‘Hey, I'll get him next year,' because I've already said that, but the story is no longer about Roman Reigns' Championship and myself. The story is about all of you who have followed me to the absolute ends.
“The story is about a young girl named Hannah, blind, came to the show holding a sign cheering for me just to feel it. My friend Harley, who was sitting in the front row, who just went through spinal fusion surgery who wanted nothing more than to get the weight belt. Fans like that, fans from my own family, fans like my sister, the one that The Rock didn't mention last week, the original shotgun rider for my Dad who went from watching him wrestle in front of thousands of people to driving him to a signing where there was only 40. Or my mother, she's the only one I got left. And I can't hand it to Dusty Rhodes, but I certainly can hand it to Michelle Rubio.
“Or how about my number one fan, someone you know very well because you hired her, my wife Brandi Rhodes? The most beautiful woman on the Earth. She took a shot on me when I was wearing a goofy mask and taking RKOs every night. If anyone deserves it, the story, it's beyond me. But Michael, it's up to me. Roman Reigns, last year at WrestleMania, you said we were in the third inning. I'm letting you know right here and now, and I think you already do; we are no longer in the third inning; we are in the last inning. And Michael, I am so glad we got this moment, because at WrestleMania 40, on Night 2, you get to say for the first time in the history of this company, for the first time in the history of my family, that a Rhodes is Undisputed WWE Champion. Michael, you get to say, at WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes finished the story.”
Regardless of the results of last year's WrestleMania, this rematch affords Rhodes a chance to record one of the biggest babyface wins in WWE history, celebrating a victory in South Philadelphia in front of thousands of fans from around the world who have stuck it out through the highs and the lows. While it's never wise to bet against Roman Reigns, this one might be a risk worth taking.
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