Almost one full year ago, Cody Rhodes appeared on Monday Night Raw in a video vignette. In the vignette, he covers his road to recovery from the brutal torn pectoral injury he suffered in 2022, and he declares he will return to the ring at the Royal Rumble that was two weeks away. It would be Cody’s first match in nearly eight months, just beating the initial expected recovery window of nine months.
Just like that, he was the overwhelming favorite to win the Royal Rumble and go on to WrestleMania 39 to defeat Roman Reigns and become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
At the 2023 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Cody would, indeed, win the men’s Rumble match to earn his title shot at WrestleMania. That would make him the talk of the wrestling world.
For a couple more hours, at least.
Later that night, Sami Zayn smacked Roman Reigns in the back with a steel chair, drawing one of the biggest crowd pops in recent wrestling history.
Just like that, Sami became the “people’s champion” and was the “favorite” to defeat Roman Reigns and become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. That became especially so with the fact that the next pay-per-view after the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, would be taking place in Sami’s hometown of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The story being told couldn’t have a more perfect ending.
Of course, it wasn’t to be for Sami at Elimination Chamber, and even though some weren’t happy about it, focus shifted back to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania.
A lot of people will use their 20/20 hindsight to refute this, but Cody was an overwhelming favorite to win at WrestleMania. The pieces to that puzzle were all there. Cody’s story was great and was ready to be finished. Roman had been the champion for so long, and WrestleMania was the perfect place for him to finally have his comeuppance.
Unfortunately for Cody, that puzzle was all put together, but then someone’s cat jumped up on the table and knocked the puzzle on the floor. Cody lost to Roman, and had people wondering what was next.
As the months went on, the story was told in a way that different Bloodline members looked like they could become the “chosen one” to defeat Roman. Jimmy Uso was the first to get the spotlight after he “turned” on Roman at Night Of Champions, hitting him with two Superkicks after watching Roman verbally and physically assault Jey Uso after interference from The Usos went wrong during the show’s main event. A couple weeks later, Jey also turned on Roman, siding with his brother.
This would lead to Money In The Bank, where The Usos would face off against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa. The match came to an end when Jey would pin Roman, marking the first time Roman had been pinned in any match in nearly 1,300 days.
Just like that, Jey was a made man. He had the WWE Universe behind him and his momentum was at an insane level. The SummerSlam main event was announced as Roman defending the title against Jey. It may or may not have been the company’s original plan, but now, everything was pointing at Jey… the man who was feuding with Roman all the way back in 2020 to start this entire storyline… being chosen to dethrone Roman and become the new champion.
Not so fast, my friend.
The match at SummerSlam saw Jimmy Uso turn on his brother, causing Jey to lose and helping The Bloodline story completely jump the shark in a single night.
We had been taken on a roller coaster ride, and it looked like we were moving back in a positive direction for Cody Rhodes, after all.
Like most roller coaster rides, though, things reach a certain height, and then they come roaring back down again. Just when it looked like Cody was back as the favorite again, LA Knight came out of absolutely nowhere to become one of the most popular acts in all of wrestling. Knight skyrocketed up the card, earning himself a shot at Roman at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia. Everywhere you looked, people were clamoring for WWE to call an audible and go with the hot hand in LA Knight.
As you witnessed, that didn’t happen. Knight was unsuccessful in knocking Roman from his pedestal. Surely, that means Cody Rhodes was back as the favorite once again, right?
Not for long.
Three weeks after Roman defeated LA Knight at Crown Jewel, it was time for Survivor Series. Do you remember what happened at the end of Survivor Series? Randy Orton made his long awaited return to WWE, after missing 18 months with a back injury that was once viewed as a potential career ender. Then, mere minutes later, CM Punk made his shocking return to WWE after his departure from AEW.
Almost immediately, Orton made it known that he was targeting Roman Reigns and The Bloodline, as they were the kayfabe reason he was injured in the first place. Punk had teased things with Roman, but it was pretty clear that Seth Rollins and Punk were going to tussle, although stranger things have happened in WWE history.
Oh, and three weeks later, AJ Styles returned to WWE looking for his own pound of flesh from The Bloodline after they (kayfabe) put him on the shelf a couple months earlier.
Also, LA Knight is back in the thick of things, in case that wasn’t enough for you. After a Triple Threat Match between Orton, Styles, and Knight was ruined by The Bloodline, Smackdown General Manager Nick Aldis decided to “reward” Roman by making his title defense at the Royal Rumble a Fatal Four-Way with all three challengers.
Then again… none of it may matter whatsoever, because we also got ANOTHER return recently. This time, it was none other than The Rock. During this return, Rock cut a promo and dropped a line about sitting at the “head of the table,” marking the first official time that a match between Roman and Rock has been hinted at on WWE programming.
Right now, this very moment, it seems like Cody Rhodes is, AT BEST, third or fourth in line when it comes to Roman Reigns and challengers for Roman’s Undisputed WWE Universal Title.
Now that the roller coaster has taken us to the current day, where do we go next?
The Royal Rumble is right around the corner. Roman having to defend against three challengers at the same time provides a level of long odds that we haven’t seen during his title reign. We’ve seen him face some of the top talents of all-time in singles matches. We’ve seen him defend his title in all sorts of gimmick matches, from TLC to Hell In A Cell to Last Man Standing. We’ve seen him in Triple Threat Matches, with and without the title on the line. This is something entirely different, though.
While the odds seem long in kayfabe, one would think the match was put together this way so that AJ Styles or LA Knight could take the pin from Roman, therefore protecting Orton a bit. Could I be wrong there? Of course. It wouldn’t stun me to see Orton win the title, although it would be quite the surprise if Styles or (especially) Knight won it.
So, if Roman survives the Royal Rumble, that takes us to Elimination Chamber next month. That’s a special show already, made even more so by the fact that it’s taking place in Perth, Western Australia this year. It’s an outdoor stadium show, with a venue (Optus Stadium) that has a record attendance of 73,092 people for an Ed Sheeran concert last year. While we haven’t heard what the max capacity will be for EC based on whatever setup WWE plans to use, the last update that we did hear was that, as of early-to-mid December, there were around 45,000 tickets sold for the show.
If you want to make sure that Elimination Chamber is as big as possible… what… what could you possibly do? Surely, there has to be some sort of match that would be a guaranteed draw, especially because fans have been asking to see it for a few years now… right?
At first glance, Roman Reigns vs The Rock seems like it would be a WrestleMania match and nothing else. If WWE is serious about wanting to achieve world domination, though, it would behoove them to make these “special” shows just that… special. Puerto Rico got Backlash last year, and that show featured Puerto Rico’s own Bad Bunny, one of the biggest stars on the planet, wrestling on the card. England got Money In The Bank, and not only did they get a rare Roman Reigns match, but they got an even more rare match that saw Reigns get pinned. If you show these non-North American countries that you’re willing to make shows there bigger than glorified house shows, you’re going to see more and more of them open up their checkbooks in an attempt to host events.
What happens if we do get Roman Reigns vs The Rock at Elimination Chamber? Surely, WWE wouldn’t bring The Rock in to lose… right? Well, would WWE really bring The Rock in to become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion on the Road To WrestleMania?
What if we could get Roman vs Rock without having to worry about the title?
There are two scenarios for that, one of which involves them facing each other at Elimination Chamber, and one that involves them facing each other at WrestleMania. Hear me out.
Scenario #1: This one comes from Raj Giri on Twitter. Randy Orton wins the Fatal Four-Way at Royal Rumble to become the new champion. That same night, CM Punk is the winner of the men’s Royal Rumble match. A few weeks later, Cody Rhodes wins an Elimination Chamber match at the titular event to earn himself a title shot at WrestleMania. Then, at Mania, that gives us the following matches, to be spread out in whatever way the company sees fit:
– Orton vs Cody for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title
– Seth Rollins vs Punk for the World Heavyweight Title
– The Rock vs Roman Reigns
Raj didn’t mention this in his tweet, but you could probably have something like Rock making his presence known at the Rumble, and that distraction/interference is what leads to Roman losing the match.
Or…
Scenario #2: The Rock is coming for Roman, but he doesn’t want the title. That’s “been there, done that” territory for Rock. He mentioned the “Head Of The Table” instead of anything about titles or champions, so let’s go in that direction instead.
Roman is often seen wearing the ‘Ula Fala lei on WWE programming. He doesn’t wear it because it’s pretty or because it’s a color match for his Jordans. In Polynesian culture, the color red was generally reserved for royalty, or for a Chief. The ‘Ula Fala was worn in Samoa by a family Chief, or the High Chief, during special occasions. By wearing it, Roman is literally showing that he is the Head Of The Table and the Tribal Chief when it comes to the Anoa’i family.
We’ve seen Roman put the ‘Ula Fala on the line against Jey Uso at SummerSlam, telling Jey that he (Roman) would personally present the ‘Ula Fala to his cousin if Jey won the match. This is what The Rock should want. No matter what Roman does, has done, or will do, there are always people who will point out how big of a star The Rock was, and how big of a star Dwayne Johnson is. If they’re the two biggest stars in the family, let them see who the biggest and brightest really is.
This gives you Rock vs Roman without having the title on the line. Then, if WWE decides that, yes, The Rock should win the match, it presents a storyline of Roman completely spiraling out of control after Elimination Chamber. The ‘Ula Fala has represented Roman’s entire on-screen entity for over three years now. If he were to lose it… and especially to The Rock… his character wouldn’t just be like “oh well, I’m still the champion” and move on. He would have a meltdown. That’s where someone like Cody Rhodes could step in and use that to his advantage, maybe getting a chance to face Roman at WrestleMania if Cody doesn’t win the Royal Rumble or a shot at Elimination Chamber.
If either of those scenarios happens… actually, even if neither of them happens… it really is amazing to sit back and look at the journey that Cody Rhodes has been on for the last year or so. Through absolutely no fault of his own, he has seen the top of the card in WWE swell and swell, adding new and returning names, muddying the waters for him as the WWE Universe attaches themselves to this guy and that guy. So far, none of it has mattered, as Roman Reigns has defeated all comers. There are still a few potential hurdles for Roman to clear, but he could very well do just that, and we could still end up with Cody defeating Roman at WrestleMania with zero outside issues.
There’s plenty of intrigue, though, as we head to Mania, and I guess that’s great news for WWE, as a whole.
What say you? Do you think, one way or another, we’re going to see Cody beat Roman at WrestleMania this year? If not, who do you think beats Roman between now and then? Or, are you of the thinking that WWE is going to have Roman’s current title reign last until he can surpass Hulk Hogan for the second-longest World Title reign in company history? If Roman makes it through WrestleMania as the champion, he will need to go 160 more days to break Hogan’s record, which, at Roman’s level of activity, would only mean a possibility of one or two more defenses. If you go 160 days after WrestleMania 39, for example, Roman only defended the title against Jey Uso at SummerSlam in that time frame.
Anyway, I want to hear from you about everything I just mentioned. As always, feel free to hit me up in the comments section below, or on Twitter (@HustleTheSavage), and let me know what’s on your mind.
Now, let’s continue on to my Weekly Power Rankings, and then close things out with the playlist of music I was listening to as I put this column together.
Weekly Power Rankings
Kazuchika Okada vs Bryan Danielson: I loved their first match at Forbidden Door, so they had a high bar to clear in the rematch. They cleared it, and did so easily. This was an absolute masterclass of storytelling and wonderful wrestling, with each man simultaneously targeting a particular body part of his opponent and defending a particular body part of his own from his opponent. With each man winning a match against each other, I am really looking forward to their “rubber match” to end the series at some point.
Sanada vs Tetsuya Naito: Naito has lost a step or two because of all the mileage he has put on his body through the years, but he continues to step up when it matters most. This was a prime example of that. In his fifth Wrestle Kingdom main event, he was able to turn the clock back and have another great match. He was desperate to return to the top of the New Japan mountain, while Sanada was desperate to prove that he belonged at the top, after seeing doubt during his entire title reign. That mutual desperation made for a dramatic and compelling watch.
Jon Moxley vs Will Ospreay vs David Finlay: Mox wants to beat the shit out of people. Ospreay wants to show that he is the best wrestler alive today. Finlay was also in the match. Actually, Finlay played his role as the pest heel really well, and he made the most sense as the winner here.
Hiromu Takahashi vs El Desperado: As one of the greatest junior heavyweights of this generation, Takahashi continues to deliver at a high level. What really helped this match was their entertaining blend of the heavyweight and junior heavyweight styles. It wasn’t just a sprint like a lot of these types of matches end up being. They did a lot of that, but they also took time to drop heavy bombs on each other.
Seth Rollins vs Drew McIntyre: Whenever McIntyre loses a big match, I can’t help but feel that he has one foot out the door in WWE. He wins on television a lot, but when it comes to pay-per-view and/or title matches, he hasn’t won a match since defeating Karrion Kross in a Steel Cage Match at Crown Jewel 2022, which was 14 months ago. Before that, you have to go back to his win over Happy Corbin at WrestleMania 38, which was nearly two years ago. We’re coming up on three years since he has held any sort of title. He can obviously still “go” in the ring, but we’re straying further and further from his time at the top. That doesn’t mean he’s gone, of course. It just feels that way.
Randy Orton vs LA Knight vs AJ Styles: Big-time stakes on the line here, and all three men wrestled like it. Such a simple thing in wrestling, but it isn’t utilized often enough. I even like the match being ruined because of interference from The Bloodline. It made sense, and it was immediately thrown back in the face of Roman Reigns, but more on that later.
FTR vs Malakai Black & Buddy Matthews: Malakai Black faces criticism for never taking pins and never putting anyone over, and he goes on social media to angrily disagree with those points… but then his tag partner is the one to take the pin yet again in his very next match. Convenient. I’m being sarcastic, of course. It’s funny that it’s even a topic of discussion, really.
The Rock: Another (something of a) surprise return. This one gets people talking even more than usual, as he officially hinted at a future confrontation with Roman Reigns, taking that idea from social media and fantasy booking, and moving it to canon on WWE programming.
Shingo Takagi vs Tama Tonga: Two of New Japan’s hardest hitters doing what they do best, going for the knockout blow time and time again. This was one of Tama’s best matches in a long time. He really seemed to understand the importance of the match, and he stepped up big-time.
Darby Allin vs Konosuke Takeshita: Takeshita is always looking to dish out some insane offense. Darby is more than willing to receive any sort of insane offense in the name of the art. Put these two in the ring together, and it could get ugly, but in a beautiful way. That’s what we got here.
Kevin Owens vs Santos Escobar: Like Orton vs Knight vs Styles, this was a match that was made better because there were clear stakes on the line, albeit at a lesser level. Both Owens and Escobar wrestled like they were preparing to reach the next level, and I appreciate that.
Daniel Garcia vs Swerve Strickland: Swerve continues moving up the card, looking like he might very well be next-in-line to become the AEW World Champion. Garcia continues to impress, showing that he’s worthy of more than he has been able to do recently. It’s a win/win.
Joaquin Wilde: The visual of him flying through the air after a super springboard Superman dive, assisted by Carlito and Cruz Del Toro, is going to be on a million highlight packages and YouTube compilations for years to come. Incredibly impressive looking spot.
Zack Sabre Jr. vs Hiroshi Tanahashi: NJPW Television Title matches are unique for the company, as they feature 15-minute time limits, forcing wrestlers to wrestle a more frantic pace to try and pick up a win. When you have a champion like ZSJ, who loves to slow the pace down and showcase his technical and submission work, it makes for a fun clash of styles. Tanahashi was working extra hard to get the match over as quickly as possible, and that made ZSJ work even harder to try and escape.
Nic Nemeth: The artist-formerly-known-as Dolph Ziggler made his New Japan debut at Wrestle Kingdom, and it looks like he’s already going to be in a feud with David Finlay for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Title. You already know Nic is going to be extra motivated, and that only bodes well for his time with the company, even if it isn’t a long stay. There are a ton of really fun matches he can have with members of the New Japan roster in the months to come, and a run in this year’s G1 Climax tournament could be special.
Nick Aldis: He doesn’t necessarily seem to be interested in being a face or a heel. All he seems to care about is making Smackdown the absolute best show it can be. Isn’t that all we really need out of on-screen authority figures in pro wrestling? He has done an amazing job so far.
Yota Tsuji vs Yuya Uemura: Many fans of New Japan feel that one or both of these men are set to be major players for the company in the not-too-distant future. It was smart to put them up against each other at Wrestle Kingdom, as they wrestled like they had a lot to prove.
Deonna Purrazzo: The way the AEW women’s division is booked needs a ton of help. Like… A LOT of help. However, there’s no going wrong with bolstering the division with one of the top free agents on the market. She may not have been the particular free agent that some were hoping for, but Deonna steps in on day one and is one of the best in-ring workers that the women’s division has.
Wheeler Yuta vs Komander: A fun clash of styles, and sometimes, that’s really all you need to make for an entertaining match. It really can be that simple.
Trick Williams vs Grayson Waller: After hyping it up for a while, it’s a shame that Ilja Dragunov was unable to compete, robbing everyone of a major NXT Title match. We’re still going to get the match, but for now, this was a good replacement. Trick Williams continues his meteoric rise in NXT, continuing to get better and better in the ring. He has become must-see television on a weekly basis.
Oba Femi: From the first moment I saw him wrestle, I could tell that Oba Femi has “it,” whatever “it” is. A little over eight months later, he won the men’s Breakout Tournament, guaranteeing him a title match of his choice that can be cashed in at any point. He’s an incredible athletic specimen that looks like a million bucks. His match against Riley Osborne was a lot of fun, and both men appear to have bright futures, but Oba Femi could be special one day if he keeps working at it. His debut match as a pro was barely over a year ago. Keep an eye out on this guy.
A New Era In New Japan: Wrestle Kingdom featured seven title matches on the card, and all seven matches ended in new champions being crowned. From nearly top to bottom, the company crowned new champions and new challengers in a single night, creating numerous stories moving forward. That’s fun booking.
R-Truth: His “I’m sorry, I love you” to The Miz during their tag match on Raw was legitimately laugh-out-loud funny. He continues to show that he is in an elite class when it comes to the most naturally gifted comedic performers that wrestling has ever seen.
Authors Of Pain & Paul Ellering: I’m really glad to see them back in WWE. AOP are really good at what they do, and their matches are like watching a car crash, meant in the most complimentary way possible. I am a little leery of their pairing with Karrion Kross, though. I’m someone who enjoys Kross’ matches, but he has shown next-to-nothing when it comes to being able to connect with the WWE Universe in any way, shape, or form. That’s the kind of thing that could potentially hurt AOP and hold them back, but we’ll see.
Private Party: Marq Quen hasn’t been seen in a wrestling ring since the end of November 2022, but his shoulder injury has healed, and he is finally back. This is great news for him, but also for his tag partner, Isiah Kassidy, who has been completely wasting away in any and everything he was involved in because Matt Hardy should’ve retired several years ago. Private Party will be a welcomed re-addition to the tag team scene in AEW.
This Week’s Playlist: “Ezekiel’s Wheel” by Erick The Architect & George Clinton… “Trigger” by Smash Into Pieces… “Before I Die” by Forever Still… “Lotus” by Drown In Sulphur… “I’m Like A Bird” by Alessia Cara… “Get Here” by Sam Smith… “My Life” by Billy Joel… “Walked Outta Heaven” by Jagged Edge… “What’s It Like” by Jagged Edge… “Breakadawn” by De La Soul… “ATLiens” by Outkast… “Jazzy Belle” by Outkast… “You Got Me” by The Roots, Eve & Erykah Badu… “The Seed (2.0)” by The Roots & Cody Chessnut… “Don’t Say Nuthin” by The Roots… “Bring The Pain” by Method Man… “Break Ups 2 Make Ups” by Method Man & D’Angelo… “I’ll Bee Dat” by Redman… “Nobody Does It Better” by Nate Dogg & Warren G… “Never Leave Me Alone” by Nate Dogg & Snoop Dogg… “Bring You Down” by Jadakiss… “Time’s Up” by Jadakiss & Nate Dogg… “Shoot Outs” by Jadakiss & Styles P… “Virginia” by Clipse… “When The Last Time” by Clipse