Top Rope Talk
By: Denzel Snipes
We have traveled this road (Rhode?) before. Win the Rumble, go to ‘Mania, lose to Reigns. Roman Reigns has been on an absolute tear for the last few years and is quickly approaching Hulk Hogan’s record for number of days as WWE Champion. Meanwhile, we have Cody Rhodes, who has come over from helping establish the now-rival AEW returning to WWE to perhaps be the next face of the company. We can expect the last part of the previous sentence to be true. He just shouldn’t do it through Reigns.
I have said for the last few seasons…all throughout Roman’s “reign” of terror…that whoever knocks out Reigns be a member of his own blood. His own family. Sure, Jey Uso got his shot but remember…he had the match won if not for a knife in the back by twin brother Jimmy. This move alone sent Jey to Raw. Reigns then proceeded to have the same pattern: show up to Smackdown, talk smack, someone challenges him, he accepts, burn through them at a PLE. Then take time off. Then repeat.
Cody Rhodes won the 2023 Royal Rumble match, yet missed the mark at Wrestlemania 39, falling short of defeating the Tribal Chief. He then embarked on a year’s worth of big matches including a trilogy with former World Champion-turned-gatekeeper Brock Lesnar. Now fast forward to January 2024, and Rhodes again stands alone at the culmination of the Men’s Royal Rumble match, becoming the first repeat Rumble winner since Stone Cold Steve Austin. Right after the match, he immediately pointed at Reigns sitting in the luxury boxes.
Yet just as he was about to announce that he will choose to face Reigns and make the jump to Smackdown, World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins comes out and cuts a promo that should get everyone thinking. And makes an offer Rhodes can’t refuse.
Rhodes and Rollins have history. In quite possibly a career-defining match, Rhodes defeated Rollins in Hell In A Cell on a torn-freaking-pectoral muscle (if you’re eating, don’t go look at the pictures). They put on a trilogy of matches of their own as well. And they should face off one more time. Another reason: beating Reigns would lock Rhodes to Smackdown, and remember my “face of the WWE” comment above? Roman Reigns aside, the face of the company should be on the flagship show, Monday Night Raw. Moving Rhodes (provided he is the heir apparent) wouldn’t be a good move. In my honest opinion, I believe Reigns is on borrowed time. He has accomplished everything there is to do in WWE and I believe he is on his way out. He may be on his way to Hollywood alongside his superstar cousin, Dwayne Johnson…..ooohhhh speaking of HIM…..
On January 1st, 2024 on WWE “Raw: Day 1”, The Great One showed up. He cut a counter-promo with Jinder Mahal, laid some smacketh down, and then proceeded to grab the microphone and…wait for it….challenge Roman Reigns.
Don’t act like you all didn’t see this coming. But allow me to explain utilizing another popular show you all may be familiar with: Power. Now this may come as a spoiler to some who haven’t seen Power so if you haven’t, skip to the next paragraph. Alright, to the rest of you…remember when Tariq killed his father James “Ghost” St Patrick, and there was an outcry as to “why him?” but it made sense. James needed to die at the hands of somebody he doesn’t see coming. Now, it has been years since The Rock has been in competition and he was pretty much presumed retired. So for him to come out of nowhere and challenge Reigns means a ton. Not only that, with or without the championship, this is box office. This will be the biggest match of WrestleMania 40. It also just may be The Rock’s final match and who better and where better…than at the Showcase Of The Immortals against his family.
Cody Rhodes should indeed finish his story. It just shouldn’t be against Reigns. You don’t have a guy win back-to-back Rumbles just to rematch the same guy the next year.
