Clinging to the Dream — Booking Cody Rhodes’ Championship Run
Cody Rhodes is the WWE Champion. He has finished the story. But what’s next?
There’s a lot of context to it, but that’s not the point of this post. This post is in response to someone on Threads, who said ‘Fantasy Book Cody’s next three feuds’. As Chief Fantasy Booker himself, good ole RJ Sikes thought he’d have a crack at it.
Where I Begin
The first thing I look at when deciding how to book Cody’s next three feuds is to ask myself what’s there now. We’re in a new season of WWE, and I hope that WWE goes forward thinking of each Wrestlemania as a ‘season reset’ and a chance to offer a new direction in storytelling. Cody and Rock seemingly made up (though with some feuding on the horizon… Summerslam?) and Rock gifted Cody something. Cody’s spent the last two years on ‘his story’, and so now that he has it, we’re in a reactive period.
Some think that Cody should become a big heel. Corporate Cody, align with Rock, etc. I don’t. I think Cody is a red-hot babyface, and should be booked as such. And like every babyface, he should have everything he’s earned taken from him by someone who’s just better.
And that person, my friends, is Gunther.
There’s a good chance Gunther takes some time off. I think he just had a kid, and he just had a record shattering title run where he put on great match after great match. He’s earned some rest.
There’s a WWE show in Berlin after Summerslam. Cody thinks he’s the nightmare, but the 666-day Intercontinental Champion Gunther is going to be waiting in Germany for him.
But there’s a long road to get there. And it starts with Jey.
KARRION KROSS
Kind of. There’s a bit of a pit-stop.
Cody’s first defense is going to be against someone easy, because Cody doesn’t lose it. Why waste it on a good opponent, when a good opponent could be a higher stakes match down the line? I think Reed or Lashley would be good matches that puts Cody up against a physically bigger guy so he can still be an underdog.
My personal choice for Cody’s Backlash opponent? Karrion Kross. I don’t want a full feud with Kross, because Kross is a nobody in the hierarchy of the WWE kayfabe right now and it doesn’t have much to offer. There’s a story going on with Kross that’s long term. He’s a literal bad omen. People who wrestle him end up losing a part of their personality or going on a general sour streak after. Drew, Sheamus, and AJ Styles have all changed after fighting Karrion.
Some fans have been expecting a heel turn, and this is a way to tease if not promise it. Cody beats Kross, and everyone knows Cody is destined for a change. An arc for the character to go through, and the story continues.
The build is hard, because right now Karrion Kross is ,again, a nobody. It would make sense for him to go after Cody and to do it by laying out Cody’s friends. Kross wipes out Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Jey Uso. Instant reason for a match, and Cody gets a big win with a promise of changing for the worst.
JEY USO
Cody’s first real feud is going to be with Jey Uso.
Jey’s going to lose to Damien Priest at Backlash, because Jey Uso is not ready for a title shot. And Cody is going to have some people in the meantime to deal with, the first month or two post-Mania are going to have a bit of wandering. So much happened at Wrestlemania that proper promos with Heyman, the Usos, Solo, Rock, Cody, Seth, Cena, and more could all fill up some space while Cody kills time with Kross and Jey loses to Priest.
There might be a moment between Punk and Jey, because in my vision of Punk’s character, he’s always looking for an ally who resembles a ‘younger him’ who can hopefully drink his Kool-Aid like his fans do. Jey, a disruptor in the world title picture, a guy who was in a tag team but broke away from it to become someone on his own, makes sense to be a targeted ‘CM Punk Guy’.
And Jey’s going to slip and drink some, because who doesn’t love a compliment from a veteran? From a legend? And maybe it was Punk’s idea, maybe it was Jey’s all along, but Jey comes to the ring and has a complaint to make about Cody Rhodes.
It should have been Jey.
It was never Cody’s story to finish. Jey was following Roman while Cody was still goofing off with Shaq in AEW. Cody has every right to finish the story his father never had the chance to, but the one thing he didn’t have a right to do was finish the story before Jey. There was only one person who was meant to take over Roman’s spot, and there was only one person meant to end the reign of the Tribal Chief.
And that’s Jey Uso.
…
Normally, Cody Rhodes would be sympathetic to Jey’s cause, but in a twist of heart, he has to say that he Just. Doesn’t. Care. A meaner, tired side of Cody breaks through. John Cena recently spoke in an interview with Chris Van Vliet about the stress of being ‘the man’. You don’t get to do the fun stuff, but if you do your job well enough, you’ll get to come back and do the fun stuff later. Cody Rhodes is The Man right now. He did the hard work. He lost and went through humiliation and beatdowns, but he persisted through it because that was what was needed of him. He finished his story, yes, but he also did what needed to be done. What nobody in the locker room could do. What specifically Jey Uso has failed at time and time again: Cody Rhodes beat Roman Reigns.
Some people are meant to finish a story and some people aren’t. Chad Gable didn’t beat Gunther, Sami did. And Jey Uso didn’t beat Roman Reigns: Cody Rhodes did. It’s not on Cody that Jey couldn’t get the job done.
And then you get a big money match with ‘Main Event’ Jey Uso challenging Cody Rhodes at Saudi Arabia.
Cody wins and moves on.
CHAD GABLE AND SAMI ZAYN
Main feud number two involves Sami and Chad. At this point, Sami and Chad are going to be in a feud of their own. It was set up before Sami dethroned Gunther, and they’ll wrestle at Backlash and maybe a second at Saudi. Either way, Sami will continue being the Intercontinental Champion.
Cody said something that made Chad upset. Cody had no right to bring up Gable not finishing his story, just because Cody was given all the time and all the chances in the world to be a star. Cody’s the dream boy, the son of the American Dream, and the jump-shipper who was the marketing pitch for Shawn Spears and Jade Cargill and Lexis King and [REDACTED] (in a perfect world, a Chad spoils a star who isn’t revealed to have been signed yet, since AEW contracts don’t have a non-compete and it can be pretty quick confirmation).
Cody reminds Chad that not only did he not beat Gunther, but he couldn’t beat his good friend Sami either. In some ways, Chad Gable bolstered Sami. He made him the type of man Gable could never be. Chad’s a better teacher than he ever will be a wrestler, but he only made Sami a star because he re-ignited a fire. He didn’t teach him anything, and none of Chad’s pupils have done a damn thing with themselves.
And then Gable has to go through a trial to redeem himself. I’d book it as a gauntlet match where Gable enters first and Sami enters last or second to last (and last can be a shocker like Punk/Drew who Gable manages to overcome). Chad earned the right to face Cody in Scotland. You miss out on a bigger money match abroad at Clash of the Castle, but Chad’s over enough from chasing Gunther, and this is a respectable pursuit. Cody might still be a predictable winner, but it’s still too early for Cody to lose the belt. Chad didn’t finish his story, and it’s okay that he’s not finishing it against Cody. His story is around Sami and Gunther, ultimately, this is just a little rub from the star to make everyone look a little better. Chad Gable puts on a 20+ minute performance and is treated like he could have just as easily won that match as Cody through his technical prowess outmatching Cody’s. Cody continues to beat a name on the roster.
Sami can be more involved in the Gable build-up (and should be, but I don’t know how). At Clash, Sami probably has a good opponent who can be a European pop, but ultimately Sami wins. But when Gable goes around crying that he wants to earn another match, Sami has a problem with it. Last he checked, he beat Gable, and Cody shouldn’t be going around fighting losers. He should be going around fighting champions, because that’s what Roman Reigns did and that’s the only way Cody is ever going to look like half the champ Roman was. Like Kenny was (big Oooo from the crowd, is allowed). If Cody ever wants to be considered among the top of his peers, he knows what he has to do, and he can do that by giving Sami Zayn a shot.
In Toronto. At Money in the Bank. Because Cody’s not the only one with a story. This whole thing has been about redeeming himself. It’s been about overcoming his fear. But the Intercontinental Championship? It’s been good to dethrone Gunther, but that’s a consolation prize. He knows what he’s owed, and he’s owed winning the WWE Championship in his hometown.
And that’s the story. Cody tries to stop Sami from going too far with the trash-talk and believing in himself, but Sami doesn’t go down easily. Cody has to remind him that once again, Sami’s not the guy. Maybe Cody’s beating a dead horse, and maybe the fans are booing it more than cheering, but Cody was the one who beat Roman Reigns. It wasn’t Sami. Even when he hijacked the Bloodline story, it was never really about Sami. And Sami shouldn’t be so quick to ditch his ‘consolation prize’, because some people have to remember that they’re not the main character. Some people aren’t the Dream’s Baby Boy, some people are just El Genericos who always were, and always will be. Cody’s win was fate. It was prophecy. Some people go through the Indies and become stars. Not everyone’s a CM Punk or a Bryan Danielson, and nobody’s a Cody Rhodes.
That’s the story. Sami has a BIG push in a big match in his hometown. He loses to Cody. The reign continues. Cody doesn’t actually take the Intercontinental Championship, and he leaves Sami with his ‘consolation prize’, the thing he disrespected in front of Chad Gable. That’s the last straw for Chad, and Sami wanting something more is what’s going to cause him to lose the title to Gable at Summerslam (in this scenario).
As for Cody…
SUMMERSLAM — ??? Rock or Roman ???
Ultimately, what this whole theory is lacking is a lot of Bloodline involvement. I think we can’t guarantee everyone who was at Wrestlemania on a consistent or semi-consistent level. I hope there are a lot of side interactions that all help build up to the Summerslam match. A part of me thinks it’s going to be Rock, a part of me thinks it’s going to be Roman. I’m leaning more towards Rock, only because right now I think Roman vs. Seth at Summerslam is the more compelling match in the story.
Whoever it is, it’s a slow-burner. Cody thinks The Bloodline is responsible for spreading rumors about him backstage and telling people lies about him, but Jey reveals that Paul and Roman have been nowhere around. They’re gone. And nobody’s spreading lies, they’re just talking about what’s been going on. And what’s been going on is Cody Rhodes has been acting differently.
And everyone comes in. Maybe a Cena appearance or two if he’s doing anything to be disappointed in Cody.
Jey offers himself for a match. Roman returns to squash it and says he has a rematch. But Cody says that the champion has certain privileges. Cody Rhodes has the privilege to have a say in who his opponent is, and that until Roman Reigns goes through 30 other men to earn a shot, he’s going to have to wait his turn. Heyman pulls out the contract that guarantees a rematch…
The Rock’s music hits. On the ramp after an epic 14 minute entrance with fire and lightning and The People’s Championship, he says he’s going to solve this, because he’s The Head of the Table. As he walks into the ring, he grabs the contract from Paul and rips it up. Roman gets in his face. They have a big moment, and Roman asks if instead he gets Rock. They’re still face-to-face…
But Cody says that someone has something he wants. And no offense Roman, but Cody already took everything he had from him. And Cody’s already started a more successful company than Paul, so he has nothing Cody wants.
That People’s Championship though. That means something.
When Sami mentioned being a bel collector, Cody thought it was stupid. It was stupid and selfish and it robbed the people of their champions and of their money’s worth. Cody didn’t want to do that to his fans.
Titles do mean something, and there was one title he wouldn’t have minded collecting. One that doesn’t mean anything because it’s not defended, but it can be. And it should be. Because that title belongs to The People.
Seth can probably be involved in the build-up too, or when Roman tries to get involved with Rock/Cody, Seth saves the day in the SHIELD outfit.
They have a big money match. Rock goes full Final Boss. They reveal what Rock gave Cody was a bead, because Cody beat Roman in Bloodline Rules. That means he’s technically the Tribal Chief, but at Summerslam, he promises to take the bead back, and claim the title of Tribal Chief.
Roman uses this as fuel to say that Rock never wanted to challenge Roman for it because he knew he couldn’t beat Roman, which is why he jumped at the opportunity to fight Cody or someone weaker, as all his opponents since winning the title have been. Roman buries the guys Cody fought, because while Cody’s been fighting more often than Roman, Cody’s been wrestling nobodies. Kross? Sami? Gable? Where’s the challenge?
Cody wins. His story is complete. He beats The Final Boss. He becomes The People’s Champion… The Corporate Champion. He beat Roman, he beat Rock, and he beat the Intercontinental Champion. Everyone else is, surprisingly, too caught up in the other championship division. Priest and Drew and Punk are all spicing it up.
But someone has their eye on Cody.
GUNTHER
The American Nightmare’s story is over. And when one story ends, another begins. Unstoppable force American Nightmare? Meet the Immovable Object, The Austrian Devil with the 666 day Intercontinental Championship reign, Gunther.
Cody asks Gunther if he’s going to cheap shot him like he did Sami. Gunther says he has no need. He fought Sami after a grueling 666 day championship reign. His body was wrecked, and his time unfortunately came to an end.
Now? He was a healthy man, with a healthy body, and a healthy mind. He’s back in his prime, and he’s everything The American Nightmare fears. He’s an actual opponent.
If Roman didn’t hammer it in enough, Cody isn’t fighting against real opponents. The Rock was the first real opponent he had, and it probably ended in shenanigans. If Cody wants to prove himself as a real champion, he’ll beat Rock and follow it with Gunther in Germany.
He can’t ask Gable and Sami for advice. After a bit of refusing to go to them, he tries and they refuse. Without the Gunther experts at his side, he walks into the match hurt and at a disadvantage.
And he loses.
Gunther’s reign begins, and his first batch of challengers? All the guys who want to redeem themselves. Cody’s stuff with the Bloodline isn’t over, and it can take the hot seat until he’s ready to fight Gunther again.
It’s been teased that Gunther and Cody are going to be ‘the two guys’, like when they were the final two in Cody’s first Royal Rumble win. There is no better time to pull the trigger on Gunther than immediately after his title reign. He has a natural slogan, and ‘Austrian Devil’ is so much cooler than American Nightmare.
I have a long, convoluted theory about how the Cody vs. Roman story is this big metaphorical battle for who leads the Renaissance Era. Roman ushered it in, Cody is primed to be the guy. He built himself up and went on a Hero’s Journey that led him back to finishing his story.
But Gunther? Gunther’s been the truth for years. He was the multi-year, longest reigning NXT UK Champion. 870 days, or a bit under three years. Then he was the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion. He held down the fort of real needle-moving wrestling for years. This is his story as much as it is everyone else’s.
Everyone’s Got A Story
That’s the era we’re in. The Renaissance is not The Story. The Renaissance is everyone has a story, and everyone’s story is intermingling and clashing and colliding. We’ve been watching the origin of something great for years without knowing it. Gunther halted Cody’s story, because nobody’s story is ultimate, and nobody’s story is final. We know that not everyone gets their story, because Chad never got his. Sami only had a part of his. Cody gets his, but when it’s over, it’s really over. It’s all interconnected, and it’s all ongoing. There are exciting things going on up and down the card, and the guys fighting in the opener could just as easily be in the main event.
There’s a chance that Cody’s run is going to capitalize on Wrestlemania, and he’s going to fight crazy names and it’s going to keep the Bloodline story hot. That would probably be good, and there’s probably really great stories to be told there. Without knowing the consistency of Rock and Cena and all of them, this allows Cody to play off of existing stories with people he’s already interacted with. It gives people a spotlight, and it launches a crop of guys who could be fighting for the Intercontinental Championship into a position where they could go for the IC or World Championship pretty easily.
And the story is? Cody clung to his title and went for the easy way out. He wanted to hold onto his dream in whatever way he could, so he intentionally went after weak foes and wasn’t prepared for the fight. It’s uncharacteristic of him, but that’s what Kross took from him. It was his courage and his will to fight.
And the Renaissance Era begins with a new Hogan and a new Andre.
Tl;dr:
Step 1: Cody wrestles Kross at Backlash somehow. It would have made more sense if Wrestlemania made Karrion and his team look legit, and if Kross was naturally on a path to looking good. Cody’s opponent doesn’t have to be that big of a deal because it’s an obvious loss, but find a way to make Karrion look like a threat. Just have him be big and scary and lay out people (Jey, Sami, and Kevin?).
Step 2: Cody wrestles Jey. His mean-streak from wrestling Kross starts coming out, because he brings up how Jey couldn’t do it, and how he’s ‘the man’. It wasn’t just about finishing his story, it was about doing what nobody on the roster could do. Especially not Jey. Throw Punk in as an earpiece to Jey for bonus points.
Step 3: Cody wrestles Gable, because in the build-up for Cody vs. Jey, Cody mentions how not everyone finishes their story. Gable didn’t beat Gunther, Jey didn’t beat Roman.
Step 4: Cody wrestles Sami. Sami is mad that Cody is wrestling losers like Gable, because Sami was the one who beat Gunther (and in this case, Sami beats Gable in a title defense). This starts the train of thought that Cody is wrestling weak opponents. It also leads to a match in TORONTO, where Sami loses in front of his family again, losing his moment again.
Step 5: Cody wrestles Rock or Roman at Summerslam, because big money match. Roman brings up how Cody is wrestling weak opponents, and Rock is his first real challenge.
Step 6: Cody wrestles Gunther, the Austrian Devil with the 666 day title reign, and loses.
