00:00 WWE has seemingly booked themselves into a corner heading into WrestleMania season.
00:04 There might be a lot of hype around the Rock vs Roman Reigns match that's hypothetically there
00:10 after the big mic drop moment on the Day 1 edition of Monday Raw, but it's presented a new problem
00:16 entirely. I'm Kevin, this is Sportskeeda Wrestling, and what is your take on this
00:21 situation with WrestleMania? Let us know in the comments below.
00:24 The big problem for Triple H and his creative team is the events that played out at Day 1,
00:30 building to that mega match of Roman Reigns vs The Rock, something anticipated on a
00:34 WrestleMania stage for years. But the problem is a good one, and it's the good guy in WWE,
00:41 Cody Rhodes. WWE usually has a rule of not teasing matches that they can't promise to deliver. If The
00:47 Rock, who rarely ever appears on WWE television at all anymore, made a direct jab at Roman Reigns
00:52 and his head of the table status, it would leave a lot of people to think that WWE is back in the
00:57 Rock in the Wrestling Ring business again for the big show in Philadelphia. So what are they gonna
01:02 do? The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes has been WWE's biggest and most reliable good guy since
01:08 returning to the company in 2022, and they've essentially spent all of that time building him
01:13 up to be the next top good guy in the next few years. And by all means, Cody Rhodes has been
01:20 reliable and done virtually everything right in the last few years, proving to WWE that getting
01:25 behind him when they did was right, headlining Hell in a Cell with a torn pectoral muscle,
01:30 rehabbing and coming back at Royal Rumble, climbing the mountain to WrestleMania 39 only
01:35 for Roman Reigns and The Bloodline to goon their way out of another title match. And yet, we now
01:41 find ourselves at a crossroads, get it, where he may not get that main event redemption at
01:47 WrestleMania 40 that he sought at WrestleMania 39 many fans had clamored for. Predicting Cody
01:54 in this role was never a bad shade of predictable, but it's more something that people had anticipated
02:00 and then wanted. So what exactly could happen with Cody Rhodes if we get the Rock vs. Roman Reigns at
02:06 WrestleMania 40? There are a lot of variable situations here, and we can touch on a few of
02:11 them. And let's be clear about something, WWE at the end of the day is a business and wants to make
02:16 as much money as possible. And we covered why and why not the Rock vs. Reigns match may or may not
02:22 happen at WrestleMania. You can check out that video on our channel. Listen, we get it, if you're
02:26 a fan of the Rock and Roman Reigns happening, that's a cool match too. In the last decade or so,
02:31 we've seen countless instances where a deserving full-time superstar had a huge spot taken from
02:37 them by a part-time featured player for the sake of a big marquee match. CM Punk was reportedly
02:44 rock-blocked from WrestleMania main events not once but twice in 2012 and 2013. And that
02:51 problematic situation is playing out again. The night after WrestleMania 39, we saw Cody Rhodes
02:57 valiantly accept the loss at the hands of Roman Reigns, but also challenge him for a redemptive
03:03 rematch, setting the stage for WrestleMania 40. They have promised something with Cody pursuing
03:09 that title, finishing his family's story, and now he must now right that wrong and conclude it at
03:16 WrestleMania 40. At least that's what we're expecting. Technically, no, he can finish that
03:21 story anywhere, not just Mania, so WWE kind of has an out there. WWE though has pushed the idea in
03:29 our heads that we've seen Cody ignore the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw despite being one
03:34 of the biggest stars on that brand. He wants the title that Roman Reigns has. And this, ladies and
03:40 gentlemen, boys and girls, is where WWE has put themselves into a corner with a lot of great
03:46 players who are very over and a solution that needs to be figured out. Ask yourself, if not a
03:52 match against Roman Reigns, who on earth could Cody Rhodes face at WrestleMania 40? They can't
03:57 leave him off the card, right? The alternatives are not limited, honestly. Since Cody is such an
04:02 established name, he will be on the show. How does WWE plan the motions and build on the story of
04:08 what could have been into what's happening with Cody in the ring at the biggest show of the year?
04:13 The biggest talking point with fans is the two-night scenario of WrestleMania, allowing
04:17 for the possibility of Roman Reigns pulling double duty on the biggest show of the year,
04:21 possibly defending his Tribal Chief status and maybe even the title against The Rock while also
04:26 defending the WWE Universal title he's held for years against Cody or whoever else wins that role.
04:32 Most likely Cody, right? Some claim that this is sloppy on the surface level, but is it? It's never
04:38 been done before. And it also shows the world that Roman Reigns rules the wrestling world,
04:44 and now the wrestling world will challenge him collectively. You could always have the triple
04:48 threat scenario with Rock vs. Cody vs. Reigns for the title, which would allow for a lot of
04:53 different storyline dynamics to play out in a match of itself. But isn't this whole title switch
04:57 about one guy doing it? A similar idea being floated around in fantasy book collectively
05:03 sees The Rock influence the outcome of the hypothetical Reigns vs. Cody title rematch,
05:09 setting the stage for Rock vs. Reigns after Mania. Emphasis there on hypothetical.
05:15 Outside of the world title scene, Cody can have a personal emotional issue with several
05:19 other superstars, like say, the recently returning Randy Orton, who he has a lot of history with.
05:24 Possibly he can break another long title reign with the Reign General Gunther,
05:29 the record-breaking WWE current Intercontinental Champion. If Cody's assumed title path is
05:35 disrupted, what's to say he doesn't, you know, backtrack and shake up the presumptions of
05:40 Punk-challenging Rollins for the recently created World Heavyweight title? If WWE is going to go
05:45 through with The Rock vs. Roman Reigns, then they have to do something insane and radical to keep
05:50 Cody Rhodes' momentum alive. What do you think is a good idea for Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania?
05:56 Let us know your thoughts and really lay it all out in the comments below.
