(Writer’s Note: As I mentioned before, I’ll be changing the day I post my weekly columns. Wednesdays have served me well since I returned to this site two-and-a-half years ago, but post-Dynamite columns are time sensitive, and that’s where Ris Laiman’s work enters the picture. After this column, I will be moving to Mondays. If I can get another one churned out in time, you’ll see a column from me this coming Monday, February 6th. Otherwise, I’ll be here on February 13th and every Monday afternoon (my time) moving forward.)
My apologies to any of my readers in the hearing impaired community, but have you folks been listening to crowd reactions over the last week or so? More specifically, the following crowd reactions…
– The reaction Cody Rhodes received when he entered the Royal Rumble
– The reaction Cody Rhodes received when he won the Royal Rumble
– The reaction Sami Zayn got when he hit Roman Reigns with a steel chair after Reigns’ match against Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble
– The reaction Cody Rhodes got for his promo segment to start this week’s episode of Raw
I heard them all as they happened, and I’ve gone back to listen to them several times since. What I noticed is pretty simple, and that’s the fact that there has been a seismic shift in what the WWE Universe has been looking to see in the main event of WrestleMania this year.
When Cody returned at WrestleMania 38, he received one of the biggest pops of the year anywhere in wrestling. It was a magical moment, made even better by his promo on Raw the next night where he laid out his plan to win the WWE Title, not just for himself, but for his father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. At the time, you could make the argument that Cody was the hottest act in the business. As soon as he finished that promo on Raw, people were already starting to do the fantasy booking that it would take for Cody to become the new WWE Champion. At WrestleMania, Roman Reigns won his Winner-Takes-All match against Brock Lesnar, taking home the WWE Title and the Universal Title, but it’s pretty clear that Cody’s promo was specifically about the WWE Title and its long history. Besides, most people assumed there would be something that would happen to make sure Raw and Smackdown had their own World Title at some point.
If you remember, Sami Zayn was struggling (in kayfabe) at the time, fresh off of an embarrassing loss to Johnny Knoxville, of all people, at WrestleMania. He was getting made fun of, and he was searching for somewhere to fit in. That’s when he began to tag along with The Bloodline. It started innocently enough, coming off as more comic relief in a group that was almost completely serious from the start, but surely, they would shoo him away before long, right? One week turned to two weeks, and then a month, and then two months… and Sami was not only still tagging along, but he was working his way up to being the “Honorary Uce” and almost a full-fledged member of the group.
Meanwhile, the exact same week that Sami hit the “Honorary Uce” ranking, Cody Rhodes would suffer a torn pectoral muscle mere days away from his Hell In A Cell match against Seth Rollins. Just as Sami’s momentum was growing at an exponential rate, Cody’s was coming to a screeching halt. Forget the Royal Rumble. There were questions about whether or not Cody would be able to return to the ring before WrestleMania rolled around. Once Cody was put on the shelf, Sami’s weekly performances in the company’s biggest and most time consuming storyline were guaranteed greatness. He was perfect in that comic relief role, going out and making Roman, The Usos, and Paul Heyman break character and laugh all the time. Suddenly, Sami was winding up in conversations on social media about the WrestleMania 39 main event. It’s almost like a tremendous work of fiction that Cody’s injury and Sami’s real ascension happened at almost the same time, indirectly connecting them, perhaps for years to come.
Still… that was nothing more than a pipe dream, right? I mean, come on… as good as Sami is in the ring… the WrestleMania main event? That’s just crazy!
As even more time went on, that crazy idea just didn’t seem as crazy anymore. Sami was moving from the “cute” act that was just there to make people laugh to someone the fans were legitimately all in on. It’s not quite on the level of Daniel Bryan in 2013 and 2014, but the similarities are definitely there. The WWE Universe pretty much willed Daniel Bryan to the top of the mountain against WWE’s wishes, and that very same WWE Universe sure seems like it has been trying to do the same for Sami Zayn.
That brings me back to what I mentioned in the beginning of this column… those specific crowd reactions.
When Cody Rhodes came out as the 30th entrant in the Royal Rumble, the crowd reaction was great, but I don’t think I would compare it to some of the reactions he had after WrestleMania, and that’s even with 50,000 fans in attendance. Now, perhaps you could chalk that up to the lack of surprise. Not only did fans already know Cody would be in the Rumble, but there was only the one spot left, so they also knew he was coming in at #30. No matter what it is attributed to, I was a little surprised at the level of noise his reaction got.
That carried over into the reaction that Cody got for winning the Rumble. Again, it was a great reaction, but was it on the level that many were expecting going in? I don’t think so. Just my opinion, anyway.
Now, fast forward to the end of the Royal Rumble show itself. When Sami Zayn finally hit Roman Reigns in the back with a steel chair, that was one of the loudest crowd pops in recent memory. Like I said, the WWE Universe is fully invested in Sami and in the entire Bloodline story that they’ve been given for the last several months. They’ve been waiting for the implosion to happen, but the more likely scenario was always that The Bloodline would simply destroy Sami on their own. Sami was forced to strike first, and the fans loved that.
Finally, we have Cody’s crowd reaction on Raw this week. Again, I really felt there was something missing. It just feels like he has lost some steam from where he was last year, but through absolutely no fault of his own. It’s more like situations that happen in team sports all the time. Player A is doing really well, but then gets injured. While they’re out, they’re replaced by Player B, who performs even better. Then, when Player A returns to action, their team has a tough decision to make… do they go back to Player A, who was their original choice as the starter, or continue to ride with Player B, who has exceeded all expectations and is on fire?
I want to make it crystal clear right now that I don’t think we’re going to see live crowds start to turn on Cody Rhodes. He’s still super popular, and his merchandise is reportedly doing incredible sales. I’m just wondering if Sami Zayn’s popularity and dedication to his craft has hurt Cody’s “story” a bit, because now, you have that groundswell of support for Sami and people wanting to see him reach the top. The rumor is that we’ll see Sami face Roman at Elimination Chamber, right there in Sami’s hometown of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. That is going to be one of the wildest crowd reactions you’re ever going to see. I have zero doubts about that, but I also have zero doubts that Roman walks away from that one victorious, by hook or by crook. The early rumors were that Sami would team up with Kevin Owens to face The Usos at WrestleMania, although even that is going to take some finagling with the post-main event happenings at the Royal Rumble. I can’t help but feel that Sami has earned far more than a one-off title shot on a second-tier pay-per-view where nobody expects him to win, and then a Tag Team Title victory, WrestleMania or not.
While I don’t think live crowds will turn their backs on Cody, would it be the most surprising thing we’ve ever seen? No, it most certainly would not. It wouldn’t exactly be the first time WWE fans have told the company “we want THIS person, and we’re going to make sure you hear about it, no matter what.”
It’s like WWE has booked themselves into a weird corner. Setting the Cody Rhodes story up a year in advance might have come back to bite them in the ass, because there was no way to avoid it once it was learned that Cody would be able to return from his injury in time to compete at WrestleMania. That ball has already started to roll downhill, and it can’t be stopped now, no matter what Sami Zayn is doing.
What the hell can be done? If Sami is cheated out of a win at Elimination Chamber, is he supposed to go to Raw and convince Cody to face him in a match with the WrestleMania title shot on the line? Can you imagine the character trajectory for Cody if he did that and lost? You could damn near smell the heel turn for him.
One way or another, I just feel that Sami Zayn has become the worst thing that could happen to Cody Rhodes right now, and it isn’t Sami or Cody’s fault whatsoever.
Weekly Power Rankings
The Bloodline’s Implosion: To me, wrestling is at its best when real emotion is involved. If the feelings can’t be real, I want people involved who can at least make it FEEL real. That’s what we’ve been getting with a lot of the things that Roman Reigns has been involved in over the last two-plus years, and that is certainly what we got here with the post-match happenings at the end of the Royal Rumble show. Sami Zayn was able to deliver a tearful performance as he fought himself over whether or not he should listen to Roman Reigns and attack Kevin Owens. Jey Uso was great in his tearful reaction to Sami’s “betrayal” after being saved during the Trial on Raw. Jimmy Uso was magnificent showing a side of jealousy that he had been keeping inside all this time, angry that Jey referred to Sami as his “brother” when his real-life brothers are standing right there. Roman Reigns was great as he went through the roller coaster of emotions, from the initial pain (physical and emotional) of being hit with the chair, to the sadness of being betrayed, to the anger over being betrayed. After The Bloodline left the ring, there was a close-up shot of them looking at the ring, and if you look closely at Solo Sikoa’s face, his eyes looked red, as well, indicating that he was also emotional. It was when Roman said to him “We’re at war now, Solo. We take no prisoners now.” This was as picture perfect as a segment is going to get. The landscape of Smackdown is about to become must-see, if it wasn’t already.
Jamie Hayter vs Emi Sakura: Every time Jamie Hayter gets in the ring, she delivers an incredible performance. She has only been the champion for two-and-a-half months, but her reign is becoming a special one because of that match quality. I want to make sure that Emi Sakura gets a ton of credit here, too. She has had some really fun matches on the AEW YouTube shows, but she proved that she deserves more with her performance here. Emi hasn’t wrestled on AEW television or pay-per-view since being in the Casino Battle Royale at All Out 2021, which was almost 17 months ago. If you’re looking for the last time she wrestled a singles match on AEW television, you have to go all the way back to December 11th, 2019, when she lost to Big Swole. Get her back on television, TK.
Men’s Royal Rumble: As I wrote in my Rumble review column, this was a lot of fun. We got teases for several future matches and feuds. The field of competitors almost completely consisted of current full-time roster members, going away from the heavy use of part-timers and legends like we’ve seen far too often from the Rumble. Stars were made. There was a good mix of comedy and physicality. It was everything you could really want out of a Rumble match.
Women’s Royal Rumble: I’ll say a lot of the same things here as I did for the men’s match. Michelle McCool was the only legend that returned for this one. The other 29 women consisted of full-time performers from Raw and Smackdown, NXT talent, and two women (Nia Jax and Chelsea Green) returning to be full-timers once again. Compare that to the women’s Rumble match from 2022, where a whopping 13 entrants were one-time returns from legends and names from the past. That is a huge step forward for the entire division.
Seth Rollins vs Chad Gable: Chad Gable continues to show the world everything he can do in the ring, and it continues to lead him absolutely nowhere. This could’ve been a one-sided match for Rollins, but Gable was given so much offense, mixing in so many different counters and reversals, making him look great. Rollins winning to advance to the United States Title Elimination Chamber makes perfect sense with the story being told, but damn, I would really enjoy seeing Gable get a push at some point soon.
Legado Del Fantasma vs Imperium: Two fantastic tag teams that are generally overlooked because of the leader of their group being a star. Imperium, specifically, are so amazing with their in-ring chemistry and the different styles they bring to their matches. Lots of fun stuff here.
Darby Allin vs Buddy Matthews: There are a lot of things to like about Darby Allin, but one of my favorites is that, even though he is almost always smaller than his opponent, his in-ring style and lack of any concern about his own health and well-being allow him to match up better against just about anyone. He continues to have good matches against a wide variety of opponents. All shapes, all sizes, and all styles. He’s one quite the roll right now, in his second reign as the AEW TNT Champion.
Rhea Ripley: She lasted 61:08 to win the women’s Royal Rumble from the #1 spot, and she did so while suffering a dislocated knee at some point and having blood all over her face from a busted nose. You could make a case for a handful of women winning the match, but if you ask me, Rhea was the clear pick here. She has been doing such a tremendous job with The Judgment Day, and she deserves this. While I would’ve loved to see her choose Bianca Belair for her match at WrestleMania, I am looking forward to this version of Rhea facing this version of Charlotte Flair.
Tyler Bate vs Axiom: I’m really, really glad that Tyler Bate is back in what is supposed to be a full-time role with NXT. There are so many intriguing matches for him to have there, and I hope he gets a main roster run out of it, especially with Triple H running things. Axiom continues to have some great matches in NXT, showing that Shawn Michaels is a huge fan of his, but I do wonder what his ceiling with the brand is.
Bryan Danielson vs Brian Cage: One of these weeks, I’m just going to include Bryan Danielson in my Power Rankings, but I’m going to list him having a match that he didn’t actually have. I’ll rant and rave about how good it was, and even if you didn’t watch AEW programming that week, you’d nod your head and figure that it makes sense. The man can do no wrong in a wrestling ring.
Mark Briscoe vs Jay Lethal: Congratulations to both men here for having an entertaining match under some of the most difficult circumstances you can have. There was plenty of emotion in the building, but this was a very good tribute to the late, great Jay Briscoe.
Gunther: While he fell just short of winning the men’s Royal Rumble, the man lasted 71:40, entering as the first man and lasting until he was the final man eliminated. In that span, he was able to tease potential matches and feuds with multiple people, with Brock Lesnar being the most intriguing. If he wasn’t already clearly marked as a big star because of his current Intercontinental Title reign, I think this did it.
Cody Rhodes vs Finn Balor: This was a good choice for Cody’s first post-Rumble match. Finn Balor is so good in the ring, but there’s also the backstory with their history as Bullet Club members. The Judgment Day’s feud with Edge also allows some potential matches that can be had for Cody, potentially teaming up with the Rated-R Superstar. Cody needs some more momentum, and this was a good start on that road.
“Hangman” Adam Page vs Wheeler Yuta: Adam Page is yet another name on the AEW roster that you can just put in the ring with anybody and get a good match. Hell, Wheeler Yuta is quickly reaching that level, as well. Surprise, surprise… they faced off, and it was a good match.
The Creed Brothers vs Indus Sher: I’ve been waiting for this one for a while now, and it didn’t disappoint. Just four dudes looking to beat the hell out of each other and throw their opponents all over the ring. As an added bonus, the finish basically guarantees that we’ll get at least one rematch. Sign me up for that.
Ricky Starks & Action Andretti vs Chris Jericho & Daniel Garcia: This was slightly disappointing, considering who was involved in the match, but I still enjoyed it. A lot of it has to do with me just not finding it physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, psychologically, or romantically capable of caring about the Jericho Appreciation Society. I am really looking forward to the day when the group is no more.
Chase U vs The Dyad vs Edris Enofe & Malik Blade: I’m becoming a really big fan of Enofe and Blade’s work as a tag team. I think they have a really bright future together. While I would’ve enjoyed seeing them pick up the win here, I think the decision to have Andre Chase and Duke Hudson win makes a lot of sense. That provides a fresh team to get a title shot at Vengeance Day. I don’t think there’s a chance in hell they win at Vengeance Day, but at least they’re new challengers. It isn’t their first shot at the titles, but you get what I’m saying.
Candice LeRae vs Iyo Sky: I would really like to see Candice LeRae pushed as a bigger name on the main roster, but for the time being, I will have to settle for getting to see her have entertaining singles matches. I’m also glad to see Iyo Sky having a lot smoother time on the main roster after a really wonky start to her run.
Elimination Chamber Diversity: For a while, WWE only had Elimination Chamber matches where a World Title, or a shot at a World Title, was on the line. That’s fine and all, and it makes sense, but I’m really glad to see the company branching out in recent years. 2015 saw a Chamber for the WWE Tag Team Titles and another one for the Intercontinental Title. 2018 saw one for the Raw Women’s Title. 2019 saw one for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. 2020 saw one for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles and one for a Raw Women’s Title match at WrestleMania. 2022 also saw one for a Raw Women’s Title match at WrestleMania. This year, we’re getting one for the United States Title and another one for a Raw Women’s Title match at WrestleMania. Next year, let’s get one for the Smackdown Women’s Title, shall we?
Pat McAfee: Say whatever you want about Pat McAfee, but one thing that everyone should be able to agree on is that WWE commentary is infinitely more unpredictable when he’s around. It’s good to have him back. We have no idea how long he’s back for, but there’s no College Gameday for the next six months, give or take, so he could be sticking around.
This Week’s Playlist: “Two Tens” by Cordae & Anderson .Paak… “Do You Like Me?” by Daniel Caesar… “Heartbreak Feels So Good” by Fall Out Boy… “Silent Running” by Gorillaz & Adeleye Omotayo… “Skinny Ape” by Gorillaz… “Spillways” by Ghost… “From The Bottom” by Emilio Rojas & Rittz… “Sandcastles” by Ray Vaughn & Ab-Soul… “Drowning” by Atreyu… “Backfire” by August Burns Red… “What If I Fall” by Archetypes Collide… “DRAW THE LINE” by From Fall To Spring… “Melancholy and Witchcraft” by Slow Fall… “Bury Yesterday” by Shallow Truths… “Real Love” by Mary J. Blige… “Sweet Thing” by Mary J. Blige… “Don’t Walk Away” by Jade… “Weak” by SWV… “Right Here (Human Nature Radio Mix)” by SWV… “Let’s Chill” by Guy
