After winning the 2024 Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes knew exactly who he was going to<\/p>\n\n\n\n
challenge on the Grandest Stage of Them All. Without hesitation, he pointed to the suite<\/p>\n\n\n\n
that housed the Head of the Table, Roman Reigns. This is the second consecutive<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Royal Rumble victory for Rhodes who failed to dethrone the Tribal Chief at last year\u2019s<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrestlemania but he is determined to finish the story. Whether that will happen or not is<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the real question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the first Raw of the year we saw The Rock drop by and hint that it was time for him<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to sit at the Head of the Table. It was all but forgotten until February 2nd, 2024\u2019s Friday<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Night Smackdown. Emanating from Birmingham, Alabama a simple interaction between<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rhodes, Reigns and The Rock produced the most disliked segment on YouTube in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WWE history. It seemed as though Rocky was strongarming his way into the title picture<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and leaving Cody in the dust. But then, there was a revolt. Online and at every WWE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
event in the days leading up to the Wrestlemania 40 press-conference in Las Vegas, the WWE Universe made their voices heard with signs and chants in support of the<\/p>\n\n\n\n
American Nightmare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In front of a raucous Vegas crowd, Rhodes made his official choice to face Reigns at the Show of Shows. An infuriated Rock would answer by slapping Cody and joining The Bloodline in the process. Many questions remained until The Rock, flanked by The Bloodline, cut a scathing heel promo on Smackdown where he said he would do everything in his power to ensure Rhodes does not finish the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following a one-on-one challenge from Cody Rhodes directed at The People\u2019s Champ,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Rock countered with a tag team match between Rhodes and Rollins against Rock<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and Reigns in the main event of Wrestlemania 40 Night 1. It included the stipulation that<\/p>\n\n\n\n
if Cody and Seth win, then the Bloodline is barred from ringside during the Rhodes vs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reigns Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match on Night 2 of the PLE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, if Rock and Roman win, then the April 7th title match would be contested<\/p>\n\n\n\n
under Bloodline rules in which anything goes. While both Rhodes and Rollins accepted<\/p>\n\n\n\n
this match, the American Nightmare was faced with a new caveat courtesy of the Most<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment. The Rock expressed that due to his position<\/p>\n\n\n\n
on the TKO board of directors, should Rhodes not defeat Reigns in their one-on-one<\/p>\n\n\n\n
bout, then Cody would not be able to challenge the Tribal Chief for the title again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Right now, it\u2019s Cody vs. Roman for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrestlemania 40 and for the first time in a year, the Champ is the underdog. He\u2019s built<\/p>\n\n\n\n
up his prestige to the point where he is an attraction and doesn\u2019t need to appear at<\/p>\n\n\n\n
every show. In that same vein, he doesn\u2019t need a championship and yet will still be able<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to continue as a top tier talent. The fans know that and, more importantly, the company<\/p>\n\n\n\n
knows it too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unsurprisingly Rhodes is once again the favorite to come away with the strap in the City<\/p>\n\n\n\n
of Brotherly Love. Booking him to lose to Reigns at Wrestlemania two years in a row<\/p>\n\n\n\n
would be too much for fans, and not in a good way. The crowd at Wrestlemania 39<\/p>\n\n\n\n
definitely wanted Cody to come up with the win and most felt it would have been perfect<\/p>\n\n\n\n
timing to pull the trigger. While having Reigns keep the title now for 1000+ days has<\/p>\n\n\n\n
made his segments must watch, he\u2019s not walking out of Philly with the gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plain and simple, Cody Rhodes finally finishes the story and beats Roman Reigns at<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrestlemania 40. It\u2019s risky to go with the same main event in back-to-back<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrestlemania\u2019s, especially when it also follows a repeat Royal Rumble winner, but<\/p>\n\n\n\n
there\u2019s a different feel this year. It was thought that WWE missed their moment at<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrestlemania 39 in finally having found the right person to take down Roman but that<\/p>\n\n\n\n
wasn\u2019t the case. At -700, the odds are a bit better compared to last year\u2019s -550 to win<\/p>\n\n\n\n
when he looked to cement the Rhodes legacy in the history books. Yes, it would have<\/p>\n\n\n\n
been poetic for Rhodes to put a bow on things at Wrestlemania 39 but now it\u2019s poetic<\/p>\n\n\n\n
justice that Cody will right last year\u2019s wrongs and become elite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n