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Why did WWE decide to have Cody Rhodes lose his match to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39? Was it as revenge for helping to launch AEW? As a statement regarding outsiders finding immediate success in WWE after extended periods away? Or simply as a reminder to fans to never bet against Roman Reigns for as long as Vince McMahon is alive and kicking?
What if the decision has more to do with the past than how WWE plans to tackle the future? What if Rhodes, a fan of the past, decided alongside WWE creative that pulling the trigger on a story from his famous father Dusty Rhodes' past, “Hard Times,” was the best way to get fans on his side and build toward eventually being the man who unseats “The Tribal Chief” as the new “Head of the Table?”
In an Insight interview with Chris VanVliet, ex-WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. suggested just, asserting that WWE might want to make Rhodes “earn it” in a way that would make his father proud.
“Check this out. So, a buddy of mine, who knows way more about wrestling than me. He’s a Broadway actor, and he loves [wrestling]. I don’t want to say his name, because if he got it right, I don’t want WWE to like prevent him from getting tickets. But he’s, he’s so cool. And he loves wrestling, and he hits me up after Cody lost at Mania, and he goes, ‘what if it wasn’t Vince that made him lose?' I said okay. And he said, he goes, ‘what if when he [Cody] talked to Triple H, and he says, and you know, Triple H is a student of the game like he knows every storyline that’s ever been told. He loved all those old guys.' Yeah, he said, ‘what if the plan was for him to lose all along, and they recreate the Dusty Rhodes hard times storyline? So, for the whole year, Cody’s just getting f**ked time and time, and it takes him a year to earn his way back till the very next WrestleMania and Romans. the champ all the way?” Prinze Jr. said via 411 Mania.
“And so I was like, ‘well what happens at Backlash? He goes Brock squashes him. Brock kills him.' And I go, ‘Dude, you don’t think it kills his career?' He goes, ‘if they’re doing the hard time story it doesn’t because that’s what Magnum TA did to Dusty on his road to the title.' And I’m sitting there and he pitched it so nice. And I, if I could do my impression of him if I could do the whole story, but that would give away who it is. But it was just his pitch was so good. I was like ‘I’ll be d**ned if they’re not,' I’m completely convinced now that that’s what’s gonna happen. So, watch Backlash. … Oh, well then, you’ll know whether we were right or wrong at that point. But even if he loses, even if he wins, they could still do it. I think they just have to connect it more to The Bloodline story again.”
Unfortunately for Prinze and his friend, Rhodes was not squashed at Backlash, but he did secure a win that didn't make him look like a concurring champion but instead a savvy worker who took the easiest way out against a bloodied opponent, leading to another beatdown at the hands of Brock Lesnar that set up a new fight for Night of Champions. How Rhodes is booked at Night of Champions and who decides to step in the way of his ultimate goal next, however, could signify how long the road to his next shot at Roman Reigns' strap may be.
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Cody Rhodes is the dream foe of ex-Ring of Honor World Champion Homicide.
Sitting down for an interview with Bill Apter of 1WrestlingVideo, former Ring of Honor World Champion Homicide was asked about who he would like to wrestle if afforded a chance to do a dream match with anyone in the industry. Despite being close friends with Eddie Kingston and having a few “dreamy” natural matches available against folks like Jon Moxley – who he wrestled in GCW a few years back – Homicide named none other than Cody Rhodes as his dream foe, as he's got a ton of respect for the entire Rhodes family.
“Cody Rhodes,” Homicide said via Fightful. “I love Dusty Rhodes and his family, I’m a big mark for the West Texas guys, Terry Funk, my teachers Mandy Fernandez, I do belief in the west Texas guys. Look at the Rhodes, look at the name. Cody Rhodes is magical, he’s like one of those guys.. like forget about the future of pro wrestling, he’s the future [period]. He’s that guy. One day, one day.”
Will Homicide ever get a chance to wrestle Rhodes before he hangs up his boots? I mean, probably not, as he's already 46, and it doesn't seem like Rhodes is going to be leaving WWE any time soon. Still, throwing the duo into a match together would be a sight to see, as it would make for an interesting in-ring pairing that both men could exploit for a certified barnburner.
