Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Paul “Triple H” Levesque and… Cody Rhodes?
After winning the ultimate main event of the first WrestleMania under WWE's new creative, Rhodes now finds himself as the quarterback of Triple H's offense, a role he's been lobbying for for well over a year now and the spot he was seemingly hand-picked to fill after watching everyone from Seth Rollins to Drew McIntyre, LA Knight, Logan Paul, and CM Punk all emerge as top-tier performers on the upswing in the WWE Universe.
Discussing Rhodes' win at the WrestleMania 40 press conference, Triple H celebrated the “American Nightmare” for his hard work and determination as he forged his path to the main event without the benefit of ever being the “Golden Boy” or “Chosen One.”
“The hardest thing I think in this business right now is to make a babyface. And then to make a babyface that almost everybody likes. That people are not just booing because it’s fun to do in the moment, to buy into that story and be that guy. Cody is that guy, but he is not that guy because it was manufactured. He’s that guy because he’s the right guy. He’s the right human being, he is everything you want to believe in and get behind and see fight. It’s all that,” Triple H told reporters via 411 Mania.
“I’m just so happy for him. And when you talk about overcoming things, you know, he’s gotta go back and look at his career and the things he’s done. He’s forged his own path, he has done it all, and it’s a testament to him and who he is as a person. He’s never quit, he’s never given up. When one road shut down, he went to another road. When that road shut down, he made his own godd**n road. But the roads, all of them lead back here to where his dream always was… I’m happy for him, and I know he will do amazing stuff.”
Whoa, Triple H actually complements Rhodes for helping to start AEW, a push that has changed the professional wrestling landscape, cost him free agents like Will Ospreay, and ultimately made the business better for everyone? Well, I guess all of those mentions of Levesque taking Rhodes' smash-the-throne moments personally were severely overestimated, as despite his status as a strong company man, it's safe to say “The Game” would have done it exactly the same way if afforded the same opportunity.
Cody Rhodes has expansive expectations for his title run.
Before taking a Night 1 loss to The Rock and a Night 2 victory over his cousin, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes had an interview with ESPN where he discussed his last year in WWE, his family legacy, and how he would hold himself as a champion if he came out of the “Showcase of the Immortals” with the strap around his waist.
While Rhodes is used to being a fighting champion dating all the way back to his time in AEW, he has even grander ambitions for WWE, as he'd like to defend his strap on RAW and SmackDown moving forward.
“I said I'd like to be a champion who is present. What I mean, to extrapolate, present where Roman was not frequently there. I want to wrestle on Monday Night RAW, and I want to wrestle on Friday Night SmackDown,” Cody Rhodes explained via Fightful. “I want to be a champion like the champions I grew up loving. Guys like Terry Funk, Ric Flair, and The Rock and Triple H. That championship defines the company and who is holding it; I use the term all the time; it's really how I feel, I have wanted to play quarterback my entire career. I have played backup quarterback, I've got in for a few series, I've maybe played a full game as a starter, but I've never been the number one. Everybody in this match has, other than me. That's what I really want.”
On paper, Undisputed WWE Champions should defend their titles across both brands, but considering Drew McIntyre Damian Priest now holds the top belt on RAW, one has to wonder how welcomed the “American Nightmare” would be if he walked into the Judgment Day's house moving forward. Then again, considering Rhodes' willingness to really take it to The Bloodline since last January, why not take a shot at Priest and company too? Even if the 2024 WWE Draft will eventually split them up, why not have a little fun for the next month or two until that happens?
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