With SummerSlam officially in the rear-view mirror and The Bloodline occupied with Roman Reigns, at least for now, Cody Rhodes needs to find a new opponent for his WWE Championship ahead of Bash at Berlin, WWE's new German PLE coming to fans on the final day of August.
After Kevin Owens provided the save for the umpteenth time against Solo Sikoa and company on SmackDown, the answer was simple: Rhodes wants a shot at “The Prized Fighter.”
“Kevin. I’m sorry, I don’t mean for this to be awkward, but I wanna talk to you about something,” Cody Rhodes declared on SmackDown. “Kevin, I’m sure this will be awkward, will be uncomfortable, and if I know you, which I feel like I do, you’re likely gonna say no. But earlier, before I was interrupted, I was talking about who I’d like to face for the WWE Championship. Kevin, I’d like, I’d like to face you.”
Shocked by the development, KO tried to turn it down, as he simply didn't believe himself to be the correct man for the job.
“As much as I appreciate that, I don’t, I don’t deserve a title match. I really don’t. I appreciate that as well, but I don’t. Title matches need to be earned,” Owens demanded. “I’ve done nothing to earn it. Look at my win-loss record over the last year, I don’t deserve it. I appreciate it, I really do, but I’m not the guy, man. I’m not.”
While Rhodes could have moved on, the “American Nightmare” had other plans, telling his pal if he didn't accept the match, he'd go behind his back to get it done.
“You know what they’re saying, right? They’re saying ‘you deserve it.’ And I had a feeling that you would say no. But I haven’t forgot, these people haven’t forgot the sacrifices that you’ve made. Every time I needed somebody in the trenches, you were there to be in the trenches for me,” Rhodes noted. “You’re still the Prized Fighter in the prime of your career, you just happen to be one of my closest friends but Kevin, you can say no all you want. I am getting ready to walk back there, have a conversation with Nick Aldis, and I’m gonna tell him all the reasons why Kevin Owens should face me at Bash in Berlin, and Kevin, Kevin I am pretty sure Nick’s gonna see all the things that I see. Pretty sure he’s gonna see all the things that they see. And hopefully, after that conversation with him, the only thing I need to say to you is ‘I’ll see you at Bash in Berlin.'”
And a few segments later, it became official: Rhodes is going to wrestle Owens in Germany, and the real winner of the night has to be WWE fans, as the match should be an A+ endeavor, especially if KO turns heel for the match.
Cody Rhodes is proud of the new crop of WWE talent
While Rhodes is currently working his way through the greatest hits of his professional wrestling career, wrestling friends, foes, mentors, and disciples alike as he bides his time until WrestleMania 41 season, he's incredibly excited about the crop of talents coming up from the WWE developmental system, as he believes the promotion has found some incredible young stars from around the athletic world.
“I love the athletes that we pick up because they are, sometimes, the ones that are just there to do a job. They have an athlete mindset of, ‘I have to do all the work.' They have it ingrained him them. Tiffany Stratton is a great example of this gymnast turned sports entertainer. You can see it's in her blood, she wants it. If that can happen on a regular basis,” Cody Rhodes told Gabby AF via Fightful.
“Like Jacob (Henry), he's such a super athlete. To want to do this, that can be beneficial to the wrestling business. We can all throw a superkick, but not everybody can squat 600 pounds and pick the Big Show up over their heads like John Cena used to do. I'm putting that all on Jacob as he goes. It's good to have athletes on that level. I love having artists and art minded people, but I also love the combination of real, true and blue athletes as well.”
Will some fans forever turn their noses up at performers who came up from the NCAA or elsewhere instead of the indies? Sure, but when you consider some of the top young talents in WWE, from Bron Breakker to Tiffany Stratton, never wrestled a single match on the indies before becoming WWE Superstars, it's safe to say the future will look fairly different from the WWE developmental system fans grew up on a half-decade ago.
Follow Us
Subscribe