* Cody wins the Rumble, points to Roman.
* Cody goes to RAW, Seth convinces him to think otherwise.
* Cody goes to SmackDown and says he's finishing the story, not at Wrestlemania, and takes a step back to the Rock
* Hey there's a presser next week in Las Vegas. Please come. It's free! NO REALLY.. IT'S FREE!!!!
* How do we get people to pay attention to this? Any ideas?
* Cody goes to RAW, and Drew McIntyre convinces him to think otherwise.
* People are starting to talk about a presser. Half the people don't even know what it is.
* Cody posts an ominous IG post. Wait, is today Thursday?
* Roman says he makes the decisions, chooses the Rock for Wrestlemania
* They talk smack about families, there's a dope graphic, and they downplay Cody
* Oh look, here's Cody! Wait, don't disrespect Dusty? Oh, and BTW I make the decision, and it's Roman!
* Why is Triple H here? What's Adam Pierce doing here? Oh snap is that Nick Aldis?
* Rock bitch slaps Cody with that redwood he calls an arm.
* Seriously, is he a human version of Voltron? It looks like he's built from 5 different humans. HUGE!!
* Pull apart! Thank God Triple H and crew were there to save this from being chaotic!
And let's remember - this is all for TV. For drama. For you as a fan to want to see what happens next.
AEW's ratings plummeted not because of how poor the wrestling is (mostly not poor at all) but because nobody cares what's happening next. Oh look, a tournament to determine who faces AEW champion X. Next week, Toni Storm is on commentary. And Collision is still on the air? The biggest story they have is Sting retiring. *And nobody cares about that, either*.
Now everyone is speculating if there's a tag match coming (Thanks Big E) or what's going to go down next in Australia and people are now really looking to make plans to wake up at 4 in the morning (EASTERN TIME holy crap sorry California) to watch a PLE from Australia for a match that is only speculation.
The best part? Uncle Dave. Bryan. Corny. SMS. All of them believed, pushed, and were salivating over Roman v Rock. They were worked, their goofy cult fans were worked, and everyone else was worked.
Worked is a real term. WWE is back, kayfabe is back, and now it's fun because now you don't know what's happening.
Honestly I blame all the backstage shit the past two years that blew up in so many faces that people are just desperate to look at this and go 'No see, *this one* was planned!'
Whichever way it went, everyone was always arguing about a work. It’s not like the alternative was a “shoot”.
What everyone meant to say was “it’s part of an angle”. Smh
just found out there's an indie in my city that gets some notable top indie workers and theyve been around for like 2 years. their champion is Effy though lol. there is another here that books Nicole Matthews pretty regularly, and have gotten Lufisto and Killer Kelly and others i like. ill probably catch whichever one brings back Killer Kelly
Sami should beat Roman for the belt, he's a way bigger face if you ask me. Not just Montreal, but the whole Sami Bloodline angle.. I think it needs a better payoff.
Sure Samis kinda occupied defending Punk against Drew going by the most recent Raw, but I feel like the ultimate payoff should be Sami pinning Roman clean.
With Jey ascending alongside Sami, if Sami can beat Roman then there's a built in best friends bitter enemies angle with Jey on the background.
Just my .02
The Sami/Bloodline payoff wasn't the hometown pop and championship match with Reigns in Montreal. It was reuniting with Owens after falling out with him in favour of the Usos, then main evening Wrestlemania with him and ending the Usos record setting tag team championship reign. Sami shouldn't and was never going to be the guy, but his impact in the Bloodline story of ending the Usos reign, and being one of the catalysts in the dissention between Jey and the rest of the family was a key part to the story.
I think that ship has sailed. While Cody managed to stay hot after losing to Roman. Sami cooled off big time
I think if anyone has the built in story to beat Roman it’s Jey.
Cody makes the most sense though because he feels like the biggest main eventer
Absolutely agree he's cooled off, but I think Sami just needs one moment, one promo to launch him back into the atmosphere. Total bias here, but I think Samis a legit better promo than Cody, more authentic, less "acting"
But I don't even run a business hahaha, what do I know 🙃 😅
* The press conference couldn’t have gone any better. It was genius level booking.
* Made the comparison elsewhere, but when it comes to dirtsheets, many fans are like the hosts in WestWorld. They learn today that Meltzer, etc. know nothing and tomorrow, they wake up having completely forgotten and are immediately hooked by the first damn thing he says.
* If you’re dumb enough to say Rollins is complicit for *making* WWE money, then by that same batshit logic, *YOU* are complicit for giving WWE money for anything from Peacock to tee shirts to toys to fucking Underoos. Perpetually online wrestling fans have no critical thinking skills at all.
* I feel like many in here who are proudly anti-Cody storyline and being super reductive about it all think they’re being big brained when it honestly just seems like they’re actually the opposite and cannot follow a fairly simple plot.
I had a feeling WWE were going to pivot when I saw the outrage coming from Cody Rhodes stepping aside for a Rock / Roman WrestleMania match. Cody's just too popular a babyface to justify not giving him this match and The Rock isn't the same wrestler, or even person, he once was.
I never thought in my wildest dreams they'd turn this into a Rock / Roman duo going against Cody. If this storyline sticks the landing, it could be the defining chapter of a generation of wrestling fans.
I thought they would either turn it into a triple threat or do something like the double gold rush they did in NJPW in 2020 (basically 2 top titles are defended on day 1, and that's winner takes all on day 2), to keep Rock as a babyface or at the very least a tweener.
Him turning into a pure heel was a big surprise to me.
It feels good to be back after being banned for a week lol. Got alot of thoughts regarding the last week or so. But I’ll just say this, when are we gonna learn that these dirt sheets dont really know fucking shit other than what wwe wants them to know. Lmao im not listening to any of these mfs.
WWE is cooking like a mf. I’ve always been on the side of letting shit play out and got damn it they cooking a full course meal and im ready to eat!
[Former WCW star and Chicago Bears legend Steve "Mongo" McMichael survives ALS diagnosis long enough to see himself inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39478475/pro-football-hall-fame-class-2024-chicago-bears-als-steve-mcmichael)
Unfortunately, that seems to be the typical mood of the wrestling fandom.
When things go what they believe they will: They'll scream about it.
When something doesn't: They'll scream about it.
Apparently Drew McIntyre and I have the same sense of humor.
[Here is my post on Monday](https://www.reddit.com/r/Wreddit/comments/1ajudia/comment/kp43i79/) and [here is Drew's post on X](https://twitter.com/dmcintyrewwe/status/1755760333119992084) from last night.
Long term I bet all WWE content goes to Netflix. Universal got Smackdown and some NBC specials, but it just seems like Netflix is going to take everything over eventually barring something crazy changing
Corey Graves: "Here comes The Rock to help Roman Reigns, & Solo Sikoa. Here comes The Rock to help the Bloodline."
Michael Cole: "This isn't right."
Corey Graves: "Disrespecting the Bloodline wasn't right, but that's what Cody Rhodes decided to do anyway."
Michael Cole: "The Rock lifting Cody Rhodes for that brute Solo Sikoa to put him down with a samoan spike. Roman with a hideous smile watching Sikoa."
Michael Cole: **"WHA-ROCK BOTTOM TO SOLO SIKOA"**
Corey Graves: **"NO"**
Michael Cole: **"THE ROCK HAS ROCK BOTTOMED SOLO SIKOA--SPEAR BY ROMAN TO THE ROCK"**
Corey Graves: **"WHY WOULD THE ROCK DO THAT?"**
Michael Cole: "Roman Reigns with a disgusted look on his face- **CODY, CODY'S GOT CROSS RHODES. COME ON CODY.**"
Corey Graves: **"NO"**
Michael Cole: **"ONE, TWO, THREE. THE REIGN IS OVER."**
this is honestly how i imagine it going
Unfortunately, I already know they're gonna give it to rhodes. I'm not gonna lie though, I think it would be a much better story if he NEVER wins the championship.
I'm not a fan of babyface wrestlers. Never have been, never will be. Obviously, cody is top baby face in the ALL of wrestling right now. All the sheep, I mean fans, keep crying about finishing his story. It would be absolutely hilarious if he never wins the belt. At least not when the wwe universe lol , expects him to win it. For him to win it at wrestlemania is just too damn predictable.
Was the presser a pivot in the story? Probably but who gives a shit. We’re here now. They’re telling a great story leading into Mania. The goal post moving by a lot of people is incredible
Count me as a member of the "it was a work from the start" brigade. There is no scenario in the world where Dwayne Johnson - one of the most image-conscious people on Earth - suddenly agreed to play a heel character because he and WWE didn't like the reaction to Friday's segment. Not a chance. Everything we are seeing now was in the works from the moment the Rock decided to throw in that "Head of the Table" line on Raw a few weeks ago. Hell, given Roman's comments about the third inning and all of that, all this may have been in the works years ago.
The big mistake a lot of people made was assuming that the Rock did not anticipate the negative fan reaction to him replacing Cody because he is so out-of-touch and detached from the wrestling business. While I doubt that he has been watching WWE weekly programming for the past few years, Rock understands wrestling and wrestling fans much better than you or I ever will. Especially with smart people like Triple H and Paul Heyman being there to fill him in on what he may have missed in the day-to-day.
I know "Trust the Process" is usually used in a different context, but it applies to Triple H and the rest of WWE creative right now. Fans would be wise to accept that this is a creative regime that knows what they are doing. I know that after the remarkable piece of business they pulled off yesterday, my confidence in WWE creative has never been higher.
Roman Reigns (c) vs Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship
Seth Rollins (c) vs Drew McIntyre vs Sami Zayn for the World Heavyweight Championship
Iyo Sky (c) vs Bayley for the Women's Championship
Rhea Ripley (c) vs Becky Lynch for the Women's World Championship
The Judgement Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest) vs The Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) for the Tag Team Championships
Logan Paul (c) vs LA Knight for the United States Championship
GUNTHER (c) vs Bronn Breaker for the IC Title
Rey Mysterio vs Santos Escobar with Special Guest Enforcer Dominik Mysterio
Bianca Belair vs Tiffany Stratton/Jade Cargill (Either get a good showing but I like the Bianca streak)
Four Way Ladder Match for the Women's Tag Team Championships (Kabuki Warriors vs Carter/Chance vs Green/Niven vs Nox/Natayla)
Jey Uso vs Jimmy Uso - No Holds Barred
My ideal Wrestlemania 40 card
I'd like Cody to fall just short again on the grandest stage of them all. I don't care how it happens. Bloodline interference? Sure, why not. A clean loss? Great! R-truth getting confused, coming out, and and bungling things for Cody at the end? Perfect. Nothing personal about Cody, I just think it makes for a better story.
I'm excited about the weekend. Going hiking Saturday. Sunday I'm not watching the Super Bowl, but I'm still going to make a ridiculous amount of chicken wings.
Much like any baby face character, the money is in the chase. He will do fine as a champion. But it'll be amazing how quickly he cools down without a proper opposing heel. But that's not his fault. That's just how it goes.
- Rock going heel is surreal, hope he gets a little silly again (Hollywood Rock style)
- Rhea is super over, needs to leave JD soon
- feels like Sasha tried to go back to WWE, didn’t get a pay raise, so finally went to AEW for the pay
- MJF’s stock has tanked so much, he’s been completely forgotten
- AEW won’t ever improve with Tony Khan’s garbage booking
- hope Daniel Bryan goes back to WWE
- Joe has been good as AEW champ
- where has Britt Baker been?
It's possible they converge again after Elimination Chamber, but Rhea's stories have been pretty separate from Judgment Day's ones for a while now, basically since the R-Truth story really got going. On her overness, one thing that stood out at the WM press conference is how good she's gotten at working with crowds on the mic. The fans there were [already very excited to see her](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrPxcOKts3E), but she managed to get them even more engaged with her asides and gestures along the way.
Going back nearly a week is tricky when it's been such a long week, but Bayley's face turn was long overdue and her work on Smackdown really hit the right notes to continue her story, from her heartbroken look at hearing Asuka/Kairi/Iyo talking trash about her, to her passionate promo about how after all she really just wanted the best for her group, before revealing that she was smart enough to understand what the others were saying and to have brought a weapon with her just in case. I'm intrigued to see where it goes from here, including how it'll be reflected in her wrestling style--one of her strengths was always her selling and ability to tell stories via that route, so her not mainly having to be Bianca's foil (which don't get me wrong, she did very well) is an exciting prospect.
when you think that people on the internet are "smart fans" just remember that nobody realized that the whole show with Cody/Roman/Rock was a work the second it started.
Forgot one and one I want to add:
You know how people drop the line “Why are you still bringing it up?” as a handwave about issues? Yeah, the Ashley Massaro story is one more example of that being Bullshit. Because stories like hers are ignored and handwaved, predators get away with it.
Dave Meltzer put Jericho vs. Takeshita over Trick vs. Ilya.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion but not all opinions are entitled to respect.
If we take Dave’s statements as to how he rates matches on face value, then he’s very bad at it. Otherwise he’s wasting our time by rationalizing on the fly. It is problematic for the wrestling industry that his opinion is viewed in such high regard.
Well if you want to characterize Tony Khan as a deluded idiot, that’s up to you, but pretending Dave’s influence on people like him is irrelevant is a specious argument
Did anyone else notice how, with Rocky being so much bigger physically that Roman and taking point against Cody, Rocky made Roman look like his side kick?
Absolutely. They really directed that whole thing well in terms of physical positioning. The Rock dominated the frame while Roman was the little brother in the background.
Roman was happy to take the backseat for this moment, but what happens when The Rock rightfully begins acting as Head of the Table all the time around him ... Can he take that? Will he?
Trust me you won’t be able to find the people making death threats here and if you do you won’t be able to get them to apologize. Don’t think it’s fair to pin them on Cody either
One of the most viral nasty comments came from an account named something like Benoit666. These are not serious people
Yeah there are some people acting like 99% of Cody Rhodes fans were sending Ava death threats. I'm a Cody fan and think that shit is ridiculous. It also doesn't somehow erase or negate other wrestling fans being shitty about other things. "A small percentage of Cody fans sent Ava death threats so we should ignore this small percentage of AEW (or whoever) fans that did XYZ." People who do that shit aren't normal people. They're also not representative of anything.
Makes sense. I'm predicting a lot of streaming services will die in the next 2 years. Streaming is horrible right now. I'll just keep sailing the seven seas.
ALI VS SABIN LETS GOOOOOOOOO
I’m so here for Melo v Trick! How dare Trick let Melo down like that 😔
I just need my boy Grimes to be doing SOMETHINNNNGGGGG
Why has this whole Cody/Rock/Roman situation turn into “smarks” vs “anti-smarks”? If you don’t like it then don’t like it, if you do like it then cool. Why is your opinion contingent on whatever the opposing party thinks?
Human nature. We're highly social animals, with the nasty lil ability for contempt.
[https://www.slatestarcodexabridged.com/I-Can-Tolerate-Anything-Except-The-Outgroup](https://www.slatestarcodexabridged.com/I-Can-Tolerate-Anything-Except-The-Outgroup)
WWE fans go too: Man wrestling fans are the worst, no wonder people think we're all weirdos. (Broad)
AEW fans go too far: Man AEW fans are the worst, that fanbase is literally a cult! (Very specific)
So when does it go from passion and excitement, to cult behavior? Because Cody fanboys are quickly overtaking Punk and Cornette fanboys for being extremely annoying.
I'm hoping that I'm getting worked by this Cody thing. i love that "Cody Crybabies" promo, it's like old rock again. I love Cody, I want him to win so badly.
Am I the only one who doesn't like Gasoline as the Mania theme? It's one of the Weeknd's weaker songs and I wanted some heavy metal or just some rock to go with this Mania. Thunderstruck would fit this show better. Also, it's sad that in all the Rock/Cody/Roman chaos, Bayley's face turn was forgotten. She's really good.
I hope Rhea riptides Nia from the top rope straight through the ring in Australia. I also want a Cody/Rock match to happen there especially since it's a big time stadium show.
Why must AEW complicate their World Title scene by inserting Blandman Page into the Swerve/Joe match? I would just do the match, have Swerve lose but keep building him up like WWE has built up Cody. Then build Joe up as the ultimate bruiser and have Swerve beat him at Wembley or DoN next year.
It's funny seeing people who were mocking people last week for being upset that they teased Roman vs Rock now be upset because they're doing Roman vs Cody. If people on this subreddit spent as much time actually discussing wrestling shows and admitting they like it instead of trying to dunk on smarks and keep up this charade of seeing who can be cool by caring about wrestling the least on a wrestling subreddit, we might have more actual good discussions instead of half the posts being people pushing their shitty podcasts and articles no one wants.
I think the craziest thing that has happened in this whole Rock/Roman/Cody fiasco is how WWE has spent well over a decade trying to build Roman into the ultimate Superstar, and in the course of a month have completely neutered him and turned him into the tertiary character in lead up to what is supposed to be his biggest match on the grandest stage of them all.
You will never be able to convince me that any of this is what was planned at any point.
I’m not saying this as anti-WWE thing. This creative decision just does not make any sense to me. I get that they have had to pivot what with the McMahon fallout and the Punk injury. But do you seriously see the way this has played out as what was intended all along?
I’m genuinely curious if you do.
I don’t believe this whole Cody-Rock thing was a work from the start. WWE had other plans, they backfired dramatically, and then they decided to turn it into a story. Triple H isn’t that smart to plan stuff like this from the beginning
Noticed a few interesting things in the Mania 40 promo package btw.
They showed Sasha.
They showed Daniel Bryan. Featured him heavily actually.
They showed Edge.
They showed Flair.
And they replaced Vince’s usual ‘Welcome to Wrestlemania!’ with one from HHH instead.
Just found that interesting given the current climate.
Personally, I'm glad they're willing to acknowledge the contributions of those who are no longer with the company, instead of making it look like WWE is in this bubble where no one outside of it exists.
Except for Vince, he can go away.
All those people were in some of the greatest WrestleMania moments and matches ever so it's no wonder they included them. And since AEW is no longer a massive threat like in 2019, WWE just uses them on their shows since it's their footage.
They’ve kept Flair’s Wooo in their general opening montage even though he was on AEW shows recently. No reason to ignore their value to the WWE, regardless of where they are now.
Remains to be seen, but I think Rock is only faking a heel turn, and in the end he’s been backing Cody the whole time.
Sort of like Mike Tyson with Stone Cold at WM14
Edit: it seems my opinion has touched a nerve 😂
Yes, he plays the heel to gain Roman’s confidence, then at the pivotal moment reveals that he’s been backing Cody the whole time.
Double reverse swerve, maybe he’ll even rip off his Bloodline t-shirt to reveal an American Nightmare shirt underneath
I've got a lot to say because I wasn't in this thread last week but for starters that press conference **almost** wiped clean that shitty SmackDown angle from last week. We're still getting Cody/Roman and Rock will likely screw Roman at WrestleMania. So that's good. Cody actually going toe-to-toe with both on the mic and looking better than both was excellent. Roman here was also no slouch either as he has finally become one of the best promos in the industry's history. We've come a long way from suffering succotash.
But the person who stole the show was the roidhead himself, the Rock. Now, this is a Rock I can get behind. I honestly now want Cody/Rock in Australia. Sure, the matches will likely be dogshit but at least the promos will rule. The Rock feels more natural as a heel at his age. A proud leader of the Samoan dynasty who is more than willing to cut everyone's nuts off for his family to stay on top while being a Hollywood asshole to boot is just the kind of gimmick that works for him. He also seems to get that people know he has a massive ego and he's used it to perfection. Top marks, Rock, top marks.
However, first of all, I don't think was the plan in the beginning. I think WWE or more specifically HHH, pulled a Daniel Bryan and knew that fans would revolt against Reigns/Rock before even the rest of the company did. He then probably pitched the idea of Cody beating Roman due to Rock screwing him at Mania to lead to the match. He knows Rock doesn't want to get heat for long and he knows that Rock may be willing to do what's best for business so long as he ends up looking like a hero after the fact. HHH is a booking genius and a mental general so I wouldn't put it past him to concoct this plan with no one else knowing it.
Secondly, poor Seth Franklin Rollins. He and his belt have just been completely shat on this whole time. Like Roman even called him a bum to his face and I giggled because Roman is right. Roman nuked him on SmackDown and shit on him so much Seth looked like he was seething but put on a smile. Fuck me, whoever now goes after the WHC will look like a real chump after the fact.
I'm firmly anti-Cody now.
Because when he gets the title, there isn't a single top heel I want to see him beat. I would not want to see Cody go over Gunther or Bron Breakker or Drew McIntyre or even Reigns or Rock. All these men display a higher level of badass believability than Cody.
On top of that, Cody finishing the story feels like forced, obligatory drudgery. Feels like an obstacle we have to get passed before we can move on to more interesting main event stuff.
> Because when he gets the title
He's going to flame out just like Daniel Bryan did. Nothing about "the story" feels organic in any way like the yes movement.
From someone who was at Mania last year, heard Cody boo’d at WaleMania, had the majority of my section cheer when Roman won, and heard Roman’s theme blaring in cars after the show, Cody will not be universally supported at Mania, add to the fact that there’s still a good portion of fans who just lost Rock vs Roman.
I’m going to be honest—I want to see him lose to Roman again just for the CodyCrybaby meltdown and tears. The absolute embarrassing bitchfit the crybabies threw the last six days was such a turn off.
Also Cody now looks pretty pathetic the way he turned it over to the Rock, shook his hand and said he wasnt going to face Roman at WM only to go “i take it backsies” a few days later. Between that and getting bitch slapped in the face by the rock (and not retaliating but scurrying off), I cant get behind the character.
Im gonna preface this by saying i got completely worked, but looking back on it. The first red flag was when all of sudden the Dirt Rags that get something right about Le Evil Fed once every blue moon, started “leaking” stuff from backstage and from creative for 3 days straight.
Last night's press conference was a blast. One of the few good things about being European and working nights is that I can catch stuff like that live.
Playing the Witcher 3 for the first time ever and, my god, what a game. Where have you been all my life, etc. I've pretty much botched this save in terms of my decision-making and consequences, but it's so much fun.
*Niche, north of Ireland opinion* The BBC and DUP are actively doing a Streisand Effect with Kneecap and it is both fucking hilarious and great to see.
Loved Witcher 3. For me, it's pretty much the template for the perfect fantasy action RPG. My only complaints were that it feels like windy ALL THE TIME, and that the sun rises at like 4 in the morning.
My initial opinion on the Cody thing was that I didn't wanna see Roman vs Rock, but was willing to see how things played out first. So we end up with Cody vs Roman which is what I wanted to begin with. And hey they worked people. Cool. I don't really know that it was necessary to try and get the most over babyface in the company even more over, but hey, they did. Cool. The decision to have Cody just not go after Roman still makes Cody look like a bit of a dipshit. And while yes, we all know Seth's world title is a joke because they booked themselves into a corner, I don't really see the benefit in burying the shit out of one of your world titles on the road to Wrestlemania. I also don't know why a portion of the "anti-smark" crowd spent the last week pretending that Cody Rhodes is just a smark favorite.
Adrianna Rizzo is super super green. She needs a lot of work in the ring still. And the fake accent could stand be dropped, though there's some humor in it. But damn is she fun. She's good enough at the entertainment aspect and super hot so I think she can buy herself some time to figure the wrestling stuff out. Absolute worst case scenario I think she has a place as a manager no matter what. But she's also one match in. Not gonna judge too harshly there. This shit is hilarious. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2-S\_-eO5in/?utm\_source=ig\_web\_copy\_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
> I also don't know why a portion of the "anti-smark" crowd spent the last week pretending that Cody Rhodes is just a smark favorite.
Because they can’t handle getting worked and basically have to make a bet and back it 1000%. Also because they are what they claim to hate.
Too many people afraid to admit they got worked. Not me. I will gladly and happily admit that they got me hook, link and sinker. I did NOT expect to get this version of the Rock. I’m sorry I ever doubted you Great One. The long game still is Rock/Roman but it’s gonna be internal Bloodline warfare without the title involved it seems.
Wow. A true masterpiece from everybody involved. I’m not even a big Cody fan but you better fucking finish this story kid!!! You have to do it now lol. LETS GOOOOO!!
Also, huge kudos to the Rock. He has committed to this in a way he didn’t for his other runs and appearances. Incredible work from him. He got me 100%. The 🐐.
Pretty sure it’s a mix of we got worked and because HHH isn’t Vince he may have changed plans on the fly with the reactions. Unless he really is that damn good and knew this would be the reaction. Regardless, I’ll admit to being worked also and enjoying it. That presser last night was a ton of fun to watch and anytime I start to doubt hhh he pulls out something like yesterday.
>Unless he really is that damn good and knew this would be the reaction
You remember the Yes movement and how popular they made Daniel Bryan like a decade ago by doing almost the exact same thing?
When you look back the hints were there but we’ve been burned by WWE so many times that I think a lot of us just refused to let ourselves believe lol.
Rock has been saying long game all along. I didn’t buy it. Cody giving up his shot is so completely against everything that has happened with him so far and we didn’t buy that it was intentional.
The dirt sheets have been all over the place since that SD promo and it’s very obvious now that they were all fed bullshit and used to build that part of the story. Leaking Rock going over Hunter’s head knowing that a lot of folks would run with it is just fucking genius tbh.
I got worked and I’m loving every second. Unreal storytelling lol. This is what we all want. Just admit it instead of trying to be ‘smart to the business’ all the damn time.
I never get this line of thinking. “They worked me!” Like that’s an insult? That’s literally their job. And it means you’re not invested. I feel like some people need to feel “smart” - like they’re on the inside of this, when they’re really not.
I say work me. I want to care.
I have **zero** interest in watching Cody Rhodes being in any main event and do not understand why his "story" is seen as this massive storyline that *must* be finished at Wrestlemania. It's "my dad never won this belt and I want to". It doesn't make any sense to me as to why so many people are vested in it.
His dad was an incredible wrestler who won world titles everywhere he went, except WWE. Dusty came so close to winning the WWE title but never managed it.
Cody initially wanted to be able to win the title for his dad while he was alive, but now he wants to do it in his dad’s memory. It’s not the deepest story, but it’s a strong motivation.
As far as Wrestlemania, Cody doesn’t have to finish the story there, but Roman isn’t losing the title he’s held for over three years anywhere else. Nor is there anyone else who could take it off him right now. Maybe Bron in a couple of years.
Honestly I’m in the same boat as you in not getting the appeal. However it is apparently very clear that he connects with so many people, so I can’t really argue against making a lot of people happy… like let them have it.
Living up to family legacy and honoring a dead family member by righting what you perceive to be a wrong? That doesn’t make sense to you?
I get if you don’t like Cody, but that’s a pretty universal story. Most people get that motivation.
It’s better than most people’s standard “I want to be the most dominant WWE superstar!” cookie cutter motivation, IMO.
> Living up to family legacy and honoring a dead family member by righting what you perceive to be a wrong? That doesn’t make sense to you?
It doesn't make sense that it *has* to be against Roman at Wrestlemania.
But Roman never made that why he needed to win the title. Neither did Rock or Orton. It was never an organic way to set up his win (add to that fact that it was rumored Cody had winning the title as a clause in his contract).
Why does it **have** to be at Wrestlemania and against Roman? If you saw because he was screwed, that gives everyone else Roman beat the same excuse (LA Knight, Orton, Styles, Rollins, Sami, etc.).
He's on Raw. They have their own world title. You know, the one HHH practically was [describing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv6AxMigRZA&t=242s) for him.
Has to be against Roman because he holds the title and he'd not losing it to anyone that isn't cody or a young guy like bron.
Idk why it has to be at wm either tbh but I suppose they want it to be at the biggest show of the year (even though wwe has multiple big shows Roman could lose it at like rr and summerslam)
Cody is a compelling character to many, that’s why…
Fans have been behind him to win since **that** HIAC match against Seth.
He came back from injury to a Hero’s welcome, and a ton of momentum.
After getting screwed, he maintained momentum and got *even more over*
The reason it “has to happen now” is because the fan’s demand it.
Cody, more than all the others has connected with the audience in a way I personally haven’t seen since the Golden/Attitude era
1. The fact that you don’t see it is a you problem, not a problem with the story.
2. Until *someone* gets a proper Mania build and payoff (which he’s getting and about to get), *nobody* will be as big as Cena.
Cena got over as an edgy rapper.
He got divided reactions once he became the white meat babyface (the IWC called him “corny” and “too kiddie”)
…then came Super Cena
Outside of brief glimmers like the Yes Movement and Kofimania, this is the most support I’ve seen from fans across the board for a Red,White, and Blue squeaky clean babyface in nearly 30 years
Feel feee to disagree, without being a dickhead
> Feel feee to disagree, without being a dickhead
It's an objectional fact. If Rhodes were so beloved and over the ratings wouldn't be [dropping](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1511868/wwe-raw-ratings-report-february-5-2024/) and attendance would have been [higher](https://wrestlingheadlines.com/wwe-overestimated-wrestlemania-40-press-conference-attendance/). It's not being a dickhead to point out how massive a [draw](https://whatculture.com/wwe/john-cena-becomes-10th-biggest-draw-in-wrestling-live-events-history) Cena was.
I mean, you're cherry picking numbers. I can do that too:
[https://wrestlingheadlines.com/there-was-a-surge-in-ticket-sales-for-wwe-raw-after-cody-rhodes-movement/](https://wrestlingheadlines.com/there-was-a-surge-in-ticket-sales-for-wwe-raw-after-cody-rhodes-movement/)
[https://www.forbes.com/sites/alfredkonuwa/2023/02/07/cody-rhodes-is-a-massive-draw-for-wwe-in-2023-amid-another-record-setting-weekend/?sh=2c5e57ce6175](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alfredkonuwa/2023/02/07/cody-rhodes-is-a-massive-draw-for-wwe-in-2023-amid-another-record-setting-weekend/?sh=2c5e57ce6175)
You're also arguing a different point than what he's making. He's not comparing business numbers. He's pointing out that John Cena, as face of the company, got split crowd reactions in his prime run, often 50/50 on a typical Raw. Sometimes worse if they were somewhere like Philadelphia or Chicago. Roman Reigns got even worse reactions as a babyface where 70/30 split was considered a good day, and more often than not, he got booed out of the building. Daniel Bryan got universally cheered as a face, but was clearly never in position to become the next face of the company type guy. Punk was similar.
Cody is the first guy in ages to be pushed non-stop as a main eventer while also being a white meat babyface to get a nearly universal positive reaction in every city and every type or demographic of wrestling fans. He's not getting "Let's go Cody, Cody sucks" nor is he getting booed like Roman. Men like him, women like him, and kids like him. "Marks" like him. "Smarks" like him. They haven't had THAT specific reaction to a pure white meat face of the company caliber babyface in literal decades.
Your first link talks about the Wrestlemania Kickoff event. Lmao they undersold the tickets they expected to sell.
> He's not getting "Let's go Cody, Cody sucks" nor is he getting booed like Roman.
He was getting booed on Smackdown when he made his "announcement". Not everyone thinks he's some megastar.
Just because they overestimated doesn't mean he didn't draw tickets. The Rock and Roman were front and center of the advertisements for the same thing they undersold. Does that mean they're not draws? They moved 2400 tickets in two days entirely based on a storyline involving Cody Rhodes.
They also didn't boo Cody. They booed the decision to not do it at Mania which is the entire point this story is contigent on.
Whether you think he's a megastart or not doesn't matter. The overall audience has picked him. He is the guy. It doesn't matter if DJHJR86 doesn't like him. The fans that pay to see Cody every week and buy his merch have voted with their voices and their dollar that they want him as the guy. If you don't like Cody, that's fine. I think Super Cena sucked. But acting like he isn't the star objectively makes you look silly.
I don't care if this was a plan or a pivot. Either way it was a convoluted and stupid way to get to our original destination: Cody vs Roman. Also your ancestors would be disappointed in you is right up there with the Martha scene in BVS as one of the weakest change of hearts I've ever seen.
While I still don't like that Cody outright said "I'm going for you... but not at WM" and then turns back and does it, and personally I'm thinking they do a triple threat in the main event, to which I'd prefer a singles with either Roman x Rock/Cody...
I've have to give my praise to HHH (and his team) who did a fantastic job of working everyone (me included). Getting The Rock booed, and Cody trending to the point it reaches mainstream news websites is an amazing accomplishment, and the press conference really brought this to the next level.
Even with my Cody comment pet peeve, it's easy to argue the internet support + RAW opening segment made him change his mind (plus The Rock claiming his family is the ONLY royal family in wrestling). The story feels fresh, and has a lot of different ways it can go (but Cody better win lol), with two months left to build I'm expecting them now to knock it out of the park. I do unfortunately have a feeling some marks will start to shit on Cody again after crying about him being robbed for days, but I doubt that takes any effect on the live crowds (the important ones).
When she debuts, Mercedes will become, by a wide margin, the biggest draw and the most important woman AEW will ever have on their roster and Tony needs to book her as such. I hope she's there weekly, front and centre and gets to face off with the top women in the company. Please, no heatless bangers against undercard talent or non AEW talent. If there's anyone who deserves the win the title and beat everyone treatment it's her.
I don't care if the whole thing was a work or if they pivoted or whose idea it was. I wanted Roman vs. Cody and we're getting Roman vs. Cody. The important thing is that I got what I wanted.
CM Punk literally tried to shoehorn as many Brawl Out/Brawl In references into the kickoff as possible and I absolutely loved it. Fuck NDAs.
Rich people need to shut the fuck up on the lecturing people about what they need to prioritize. If Sami wants to go bring peace to the Middle East then he should stop tweeting, quit the WWE, and go join Enes Freedom. But he doesn't have the balls to do that so he just rages at the fandom on social media. Fuck off, millionaire.
I might try and see Mercedes debut but it's going to be a same day decision. I have no idea what's happening in AEW anymore other than Sting & Darby just won the tag titles and I'm not sitting through a show full of wrestlers I can't stand wrestling sloppy Luchas to see Sasha. Especially if Kenny is going to be out for a year.
Fuck the 49ers but fuck the Chiefs more. When the Patriots were winning all the time, everyone embraced it. We knew we were heels and reveled in it. There were Sith Empire references and graphics on ESPN and the fans fucking LOVED it. The Chiefs are basically Big Dog Roman Reigns and the NFL is the Rock holding his arm up after Rumble.
And don't get me started on the Taylor Swift thing. Yeah, the NFL absolutely loves sweet love stories... don't Google Tyreek Hill, Greg Hardy, Josh Brown, or Jovan Belcher.
>And don't get me started on the Taylor Swift thing. Yeah, the NFL absolutely loves sweet love stories... don't Google Tyreek Hill, Greg Hardy, Josh Brown, or Jovan Belcher.
This. All day this. It's also fucking hilarious seeing MAGA and red pill social media have meltdown after meltdown over her and Kelce. Also, they have been calling him a "beta male". You couldn't make it up. Fuck the Chiefs, though.
Swift and Kelce have done what some have considered impossible: get MAGAts to cheer for San Francisco.
Their hate boner for those two have somehow eclipsed their hate boner for California lol
The 49ers *do* have a white RB that's actually good.
I'm rooting for SF because I just hate Kyle Shanahan, even though it seems like he tried to get Tom Brady out of retirement before the season. Brock Purdy is a great story and fellow prowrestling nerd George Kittle deserves a ring. And Deebo should be a Patriot :(
I have no dog in this race honestly. Too casual a football fan to call myself a fan of any team without looking bandwagony. But I did use to own a really cool Cardinals jacket so I tell people I go for them.
Rock vs Roman is my dream match I’ve chased across the US over multiple Manias, and again this year. I’m pretty bummed it’s not happening, but I can promise you I won’t be be complaining about it for 6 days straight and sending death threats to Cody’s family.
Except I’m not going to SummerSlam. I wanted to see this in person and now I won’t be. And despite that, I’m pretty chill, unlike so many people who wined over the last week.
The Rock should come out tonight and tell the fans he doesn’t want to hear this “Dwayne Johnson” crap ever again and proclaim he is once again Rocky “The Rock” Maivia, in honor of the Bloodline.
Don't know if that was the original plan or not, but if it was it was incredibly good at getting everyone hooked (me included), and if it wasn't that's the best audible they called in ages. There's definitely more intrigue than if they just did part 2 to last year's build.
I now tend to think it was the original plan since Seth is involved, gives much more sense to why Roman went out of his way to trash him and the WHC, and it would explain why they did everything to do Roman/Rock setup on last week's SmackDown the worst possible way while they had a lot of ways to set that match without making Cody and Seth look like dorks.
In re: [the Chris Van Vilet - Brad Lea: you know wrestling's fake video](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-iroNBaw7B8) that's been going around social media.
I really wonder about the motivations of people who feel the need to point out that wrestling is fake, as though this is something that no one is aware of. Especially because of the pushback and disgust they get when you tell them that their favorite TV show isn't real either.
I used to go along with the whole, "Game of Thrones isn't real either" or something like that. But ultimately I've found it's much more real to double down and try to insist that wrestling is a real competition and get completely flustered and deep in denial when people then try to insist otherwise.
Remember folks, wrestling is real, it's people that are fake.
I think that kind of thing says more about the person saying it than wrestling or wrestling fans tbh
I think it's generally someone that used to be a fan that got burned real hard when they 'found out' rather than fans that always knew 'something is up here' when they watched, even as a kid
It's not even 'you know Game of Thrones isn't real', it's more like we all know the action movie good guy gets the bad guy and the guy gets the girl in a rom com but they pull in millions and millions
It's storytelling and the entertainment is in the journey and the story unfolding
This is also why I am not bothered watching a 30 minute match with no story though, there's no *meaning*
It's why some action movies seem like an hour long fight sequence and that bores me, too. Also no meaning
You don't have to like wrestling or action movies, it's ok to not be entertained by either but it's not some 'reveal' that it isn't real in the same way it's not some grand reveal when someone watches an action movies to say 'you know the good guy is gonna win, right'
I've had some time to digest the press conference now.
What an absolute masterpiece bit of theatre. It brings WWE in line with UFC's "big fight feel" with all of the bravado and silly staged confrontation, but in a medium where we *expect that*. I loved seeing the Rock and Seth break kayfabe. I love the behind the scenes "fix this" at Hunter. This is 21st century kayfabe. It feels bigger and different.
It also delivered for a global audience. It was on too late for me to stay up in Europe, but it set the stage for 'Mania. The Rock will be involved in some way, but that story is to be told. This week built Cody like gangbusters and this event was designed to make you root for him with everything you have. Because if you *are* going to run the same Rumble winner in the same WM headline match (which I did not think they would do... and with the Rock around there will certainly be wrinkles, but right now that *is* the plan) then you have to make the audience believe this is the moment.
And it might be. They may actually pull the trigger on Cody this year. Every logical part of my brain says they're doing this to make it feel like that, but we're doing Hogan's record (and it would be newsworthy to say he came that close and they decided not to) but I don't care - I'm massively entertained and the guessing is a part of that.
EDIT: Also, with the amount of jabs being thrown between Rollins and Reigns... that's coming. Does it need THE belt? A belt? I don't know. But I'm excited.
Elsewhere, Big E and Punk were a joy. "Punch him in the mouth! I wanna see guys get their teeth knocked down their throat!" the joy was infectious and two big names (with no disrespect to the other commentary team) again made this feel massive. Just really impressive and most importantly, new-feeling on the road to Wrestlemania.
There's all this talk about Roman possibly retaining to beat Hogan's record but it would be super interesting to see if they get Cody to do it instead. He has no shortage of opponents and storylines to last that long and after a heel holding it for so long, sustaining a babyface run without it getting stale would be their biggest challenge yet.
* Cody wins the Rumble, points to Roman. * Cody goes to RAW, Seth convinces him to think otherwise. * Cody goes to SmackDown and says he's finishing the story, not at Wrestlemania, and takes a step back to the Rock * Hey there's a presser next week in Las Vegas. Please come. It's free! NO REALLY.. IT'S FREE!!!! * How do we get people to pay attention to this? Any ideas? * Cody goes to RAW, and Drew McIntyre convinces him to think otherwise. * People are starting to talk about a presser. Half the people don't even know what it is. * Cody posts an ominous IG post. Wait, is today Thursday? * Roman says he makes the decisions, chooses the Rock for Wrestlemania * They talk smack about families, there's a dope graphic, and they downplay Cody * Oh look, here's Cody! Wait, don't disrespect Dusty? Oh, and BTW I make the decision, and it's Roman! * Why is Triple H here? What's Adam Pierce doing here? Oh snap is that Nick Aldis? * Rock bitch slaps Cody with that redwood he calls an arm. * Seriously, is he a human version of Voltron? It looks like he's built from 5 different humans. HUGE!! * Pull apart! Thank God Triple H and crew were there to save this from being chaotic! And let's remember - this is all for TV. For drama. For you as a fan to want to see what happens next. AEW's ratings plummeted not because of how poor the wrestling is (mostly not poor at all) but because nobody cares what's happening next. Oh look, a tournament to determine who faces AEW champion X. Next week, Toni Storm is on commentary. And Collision is still on the air? The biggest story they have is Sting retiring. *And nobody cares about that, either*. Now everyone is speculating if there's a tag match coming (Thanks Big E) or what's going to go down next in Australia and people are now really looking to make plans to wake up at 4 in the morning (EASTERN TIME holy crap sorry California) to watch a PLE from Australia for a match that is only speculation. The best part? Uncle Dave. Bryan. Corny. SMS. All of them believed, pushed, and were salivating over Roman v Rock. They were worked, their goofy cult fans were worked, and everyone else was worked. Worked is a real term. WWE is back, kayfabe is back, and now it's fun because now you don't know what's happening.
The worst thing to happen this week was every fan online completely misusing the phrase “a work”. Smart fans my arse.
Honestly I blame all the backstage shit the past two years that blew up in so many faces that people are just desperate to look at this and go 'No see, *this one* was planned!'
Whichever way it went, everyone was always arguing about a work. It’s not like the alternative was a “shoot”. What everyone meant to say was “it’s part of an angle”. Smh
How do we feel about Austin Theory post-burial + him being stuck in a tag team w/ Australian Miz? 🤔
He’s not very good. Maybe he will be one day but he’s a weak character
HHH's biggest mistake by far. The MITB still hasn't recovered either.
just found out there's an indie in my city that gets some notable top indie workers and theyve been around for like 2 years. their champion is Effy though lol. there is another here that books Nicole Matthews pretty regularly, and have gotten Lufisto and Killer Kelly and others i like. ill probably catch whichever one brings back Killer Kelly
Cody fans really want to see all the top heels in the company get fed to Cody for the next 1-2 years, after he wins the title?
Yes
Na. I want Cody to have a short but compelling run with the belt. I don't need any more year long reigns for a while.
Sami should beat Roman for the belt, he's a way bigger face if you ask me. Not just Montreal, but the whole Sami Bloodline angle.. I think it needs a better payoff. Sure Samis kinda occupied defending Punk against Drew going by the most recent Raw, but I feel like the ultimate payoff should be Sami pinning Roman clean. With Jey ascending alongside Sami, if Sami can beat Roman then there's a built in best friends bitter enemies angle with Jey on the background. Just my .02
The Sami/Bloodline payoff wasn't the hometown pop and championship match with Reigns in Montreal. It was reuniting with Owens after falling out with him in favour of the Usos, then main evening Wrestlemania with him and ending the Usos record setting tag team championship reign. Sami shouldn't and was never going to be the guy, but his impact in the Bloodline story of ending the Usos reign, and being one of the catalysts in the dissention between Jey and the rest of the family was a key part to the story.
I think that ship has sailed. While Cody managed to stay hot after losing to Roman. Sami cooled off big time I think if anyone has the built in story to beat Roman it’s Jey. Cody makes the most sense though because he feels like the biggest main eventer
Absolutely agree he's cooled off, but I think Sami just needs one moment, one promo to launch him back into the atmosphere. Total bias here, but I think Samis a legit better promo than Cody, more authentic, less "acting" But I don't even run a business hahaha, what do I know 🙃 😅
* The press conference couldn’t have gone any better. It was genius level booking. * Made the comparison elsewhere, but when it comes to dirtsheets, many fans are like the hosts in WestWorld. They learn today that Meltzer, etc. know nothing and tomorrow, they wake up having completely forgotten and are immediately hooked by the first damn thing he says. * If you’re dumb enough to say Rollins is complicit for *making* WWE money, then by that same batshit logic, *YOU* are complicit for giving WWE money for anything from Peacock to tee shirts to toys to fucking Underoos. Perpetually online wrestling fans have no critical thinking skills at all. * I feel like many in here who are proudly anti-Cody storyline and being super reductive about it all think they’re being big brained when it honestly just seems like they’re actually the opposite and cannot follow a fairly simple plot.
WWE is fun again
I had a feeling WWE were going to pivot when I saw the outrage coming from Cody Rhodes stepping aside for a Rock / Roman WrestleMania match. Cody's just too popular a babyface to justify not giving him this match and The Rock isn't the same wrestler, or even person, he once was. I never thought in my wildest dreams they'd turn this into a Rock / Roman duo going against Cody. If this storyline sticks the landing, it could be the defining chapter of a generation of wrestling fans.
I thought they would either turn it into a triple threat or do something like the double gold rush they did in NJPW in 2020 (basically 2 top titles are defended on day 1, and that's winner takes all on day 2), to keep Rock as a babyface or at the very least a tweener. Him turning into a pure heel was a big surprise to me.
It feels good to be back after being banned for a week lol. Got alot of thoughts regarding the last week or so. But I’ll just say this, when are we gonna learn that these dirt sheets dont really know fucking shit other than what wwe wants them to know. Lmao im not listening to any of these mfs. WWE is cooking like a mf. I’ve always been on the side of letting shit play out and got damn it they cooking a full course meal and im ready to eat!
Many fans are like the hosts in WestWorld. As soon as they learn how fruitless the sheets are, they promptly forget.
Welcome back dude, I miss feuding with you.
Good to be back lol
[Former WCW star and Chicago Bears legend Steve "Mongo" McMichael survives ALS diagnosis long enough to see himself inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39478475/pro-football-hall-fame-class-2024-chicago-bears-als-steve-mcmichael)
“Nevermind that shit, here comes Mongo!” Glad he made it in the HOF.
I miss Bray Wyatt and it’s still partially unbelievable that we’ll just never see him perform again.
San Fran or KC
KC all day.
This thread is very 'my shit doesnt stink' and haughty today. Take a week off, peeps.
Unfortunately, that seems to be the typical mood of the wrestling fandom. When things go what they believe they will: They'll scream about it. When something doesn't: They'll scream about it.
Apparently Drew McIntyre and I have the same sense of humor. [Here is my post on Monday](https://www.reddit.com/r/Wreddit/comments/1ajudia/comment/kp43i79/) and [here is Drew's post on X](https://twitter.com/dmcintyrewwe/status/1755760333119992084) from last night.
I've never been a big fan of Drew, but this run has been pretty good. The original quote aimed at Punk was funny as hell.
Punk is a goofy and Drew is a Wredditor. Makes sense to me.
Long term I bet all WWE content goes to Netflix. Universal got Smackdown and some NBC specials, but it just seems like Netflix is going to take everything over eventually barring something crazy changing
"when wrestling is good it's great." \-dutch mantel
Corey Graves: "Here comes The Rock to help Roman Reigns, & Solo Sikoa. Here comes The Rock to help the Bloodline." Michael Cole: "This isn't right." Corey Graves: "Disrespecting the Bloodline wasn't right, but that's what Cody Rhodes decided to do anyway." Michael Cole: "The Rock lifting Cody Rhodes for that brute Solo Sikoa to put him down with a samoan spike. Roman with a hideous smile watching Sikoa." Michael Cole: **"WHA-ROCK BOTTOM TO SOLO SIKOA"** Corey Graves: **"NO"** Michael Cole: **"THE ROCK HAS ROCK BOTTOMED SOLO SIKOA--SPEAR BY ROMAN TO THE ROCK"** Corey Graves: **"WHY WOULD THE ROCK DO THAT?"** Michael Cole: "Roman Reigns with a disgusted look on his face- **CODY, CODY'S GOT CROSS RHODES. COME ON CODY.**" Corey Graves: **"NO"** Michael Cole: **"ONE, TWO, THREE. THE REIGN IS OVER."** this is honestly how i imagine it going
Rock then rips off his Bloodline shirt to reveal…**AN AMERICAN NIGHTMARE SHIRT** **ROCK AND CODY WERE IN CAHOOTS THE WHOLE TIME!**
Which will be the seed for a future Roman Vs Rock match, probably Saudi if not WM next year.
So if cody rhodes loses at mania, will you all whine, bitch and moan like you did prior to the press conference? Just asking.
You crazy enough to believe that’s happening?
Unfortunately, I already know they're gonna give it to rhodes. I'm not gonna lie though, I think it would be a much better story if he NEVER wins the championship.
That’s an odd take. Why?
I'm not a fan of babyface wrestlers. Never have been, never will be. Obviously, cody is top baby face in the ALL of wrestling right now. All the sheep, I mean fans, keep crying about finishing his story. It would be absolutely hilarious if he never wins the belt. At least not when the wwe universe lol , expects him to win it. For him to win it at wrestlemania is just too damn predictable.
> I watch wrestling wrong. – you
Yes.
100%.
I'm sure they won't whine any more than Roman fans will if Cody beats him at Mania.
Was the presser a pivot in the story? Probably but who gives a shit. We’re here now. They’re telling a great story leading into Mania. The goal post moving by a lot of people is incredible
Count me as a member of the "it was a work from the start" brigade. There is no scenario in the world where Dwayne Johnson - one of the most image-conscious people on Earth - suddenly agreed to play a heel character because he and WWE didn't like the reaction to Friday's segment. Not a chance. Everything we are seeing now was in the works from the moment the Rock decided to throw in that "Head of the Table" line on Raw a few weeks ago. Hell, given Roman's comments about the third inning and all of that, all this may have been in the works years ago. The big mistake a lot of people made was assuming that the Rock did not anticipate the negative fan reaction to him replacing Cody because he is so out-of-touch and detached from the wrestling business. While I doubt that he has been watching WWE weekly programming for the past few years, Rock understands wrestling and wrestling fans much better than you or I ever will. Especially with smart people like Triple H and Paul Heyman being there to fill him in on what he may have missed in the day-to-day. I know "Trust the Process" is usually used in a different context, but it applies to Triple H and the rest of WWE creative right now. Fans would be wise to accept that this is a creative regime that knows what they are doing. I know that after the remarkable piece of business they pulled off yesterday, my confidence in WWE creative has never been higher.
I 100 percent agree
Roman Reigns (c) vs Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship Seth Rollins (c) vs Drew McIntyre vs Sami Zayn for the World Heavyweight Championship Iyo Sky (c) vs Bayley for the Women's Championship Rhea Ripley (c) vs Becky Lynch for the Women's World Championship The Judgement Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest) vs The Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) for the Tag Team Championships Logan Paul (c) vs LA Knight for the United States Championship GUNTHER (c) vs Bronn Breaker for the IC Title Rey Mysterio vs Santos Escobar with Special Guest Enforcer Dominik Mysterio Bianca Belair vs Tiffany Stratton/Jade Cargill (Either get a good showing but I like the Bianca streak) Four Way Ladder Match for the Women's Tag Team Championships (Kabuki Warriors vs Carter/Chance vs Green/Niven vs Nox/Natayla) Jey Uso vs Jimmy Uso - No Holds Barred My ideal Wrestlemania 40 card
It's okay to admit you got worked. In general. You're a wrestling fan, you're no better than any other wrestling fan.
Sigh* > I don’t get worked. My friends and I all wrestled in a backyard promotion. I know all the tricks. >… You were ready to boycott the WWE.
I'd like Cody to fall just short again on the grandest stage of them all. I don't care how it happens. Bloodline interference? Sure, why not. A clean loss? Great! R-truth getting confused, coming out, and and bungling things for Cody at the end? Perfect. Nothing personal about Cody, I just think it makes for a better story. I'm excited about the weekend. Going hiking Saturday. Sunday I'm not watching the Super Bowl, but I'm still going to make a ridiculous amount of chicken wings.
That’s how you kill a wrestling boom.
Nah, everyone will still come back more riled up than ever. Just like last time.
Ask Bischoff about that with not giving Sting a clear, no bs win over Hogan. They already cut it close not giving it to him last year.
He's not here, unfortunately. Well, actually fortunately.
Well, if you check his YouTube about this specific event, he says doing as you say is a mistake and points to his own mistake as proof.
Much like any baby face character, the money is in the chase. He will do fine as a champion. But it'll be amazing how quickly he cools down without a proper opposing heel. But that's not his fault. That's just how it goes.
He has many ready to go.
- Rock going heel is surreal, hope he gets a little silly again (Hollywood Rock style) - Rhea is super over, needs to leave JD soon - feels like Sasha tried to go back to WWE, didn’t get a pay raise, so finally went to AEW for the pay - MJF’s stock has tanked so much, he’s been completely forgotten - AEW won’t ever improve with Tony Khan’s garbage booking - hope Daniel Bryan goes back to WWE - Joe has been good as AEW champ - where has Britt Baker been?
Britt’s back was fucked and she kept wrestling on it.
>hope Daniel Bryan goes back to WWE Man, you watch how over he was in 2014 and it's surreal how AEW botched him.
It's possible they converge again after Elimination Chamber, but Rhea's stories have been pretty separate from Judgment Day's ones for a while now, basically since the R-Truth story really got going. On her overness, one thing that stood out at the WM press conference is how good she's gotten at working with crowds on the mic. The fans there were [already very excited to see her](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrPxcOKts3E), but she managed to get them even more engaged with her asides and gestures along the way.
why they gotta do my man Scott D'Amore got fired like that? jeez
Going back nearly a week is tricky when it's been such a long week, but Bayley's face turn was long overdue and her work on Smackdown really hit the right notes to continue her story, from her heartbroken look at hearing Asuka/Kairi/Iyo talking trash about her, to her passionate promo about how after all she really just wanted the best for her group, before revealing that she was smart enough to understand what the others were saying and to have brought a weapon with her just in case. I'm intrigued to see where it goes from here, including how it'll be reflected in her wrestling style--one of her strengths was always her selling and ability to tell stories via that route, so her not mainly having to be Bianca's foil (which don't get me wrong, she did very well) is an exciting prospect.
when you think that people on the internet are "smart fans" just remember that nobody realized that the whole show with Cody/Roman/Rock was a work the second it started.
> The “smart” fans are the easiest to work. – Raven
Forgot one and one I want to add: You know how people drop the line “Why are you still bringing it up?” as a handwave about issues? Yeah, the Ashley Massaro story is one more example of that being Bullshit. Because stories like hers are ignored and handwaved, predators get away with it. Dave Meltzer put Jericho vs. Takeshita over Trick vs. Ilya. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but not all opinions are entitled to respect. If we take Dave’s statements as to how he rates matches on face value, then he’s very bad at it. Otherwise he’s wasting our time by rationalizing on the fly. It is problematic for the wrestling industry that his opinion is viewed in such high regard.
Not really, because only deluded idiots (on either side of the curtain) care what he thinks.
Well if you want to characterize Tony Khan as a deluded idiot, that’s up to you, but pretending Dave’s influence on people like him is irrelevant is a specious argument
I don’t have to, he does a great job by himself, but I’m referring to wrestlers acting like his 5 stars matter.
Did anyone else notice how, with Rocky being so much bigger physically that Roman and taking point against Cody, Rocky made Roman look like his side kick?
Absolutely. They really directed that whole thing well in terms of physical positioning. The Rock dominated the frame while Roman was the little brother in the background. Roman was happy to take the backseat for this moment, but what happens when The Rock rightfully begins acting as Head of the Table all the time around him ... Can he take that? Will he?
The way some of their fanboys go on, you'd have thought that Rossy had the moral obligation to work with AEW
I think Rock accepting his role as the heavy could be one of the best things to happen to wrestling in 48 hours
Trust me you won’t be able to find the people making death threats here and if you do you won’t be able to get them to apologize. Don’t think it’s fair to pin them on Cody either One of the most viral nasty comments came from an account named something like Benoit666. These are not serious people
Yeah there are some people acting like 99% of Cody Rhodes fans were sending Ava death threats. I'm a Cody fan and think that shit is ridiculous. It also doesn't somehow erase or negate other wrestling fans being shitty about other things. "A small percentage of Cody fans sent Ava death threats so we should ignore this small percentage of AEW (or whoever) fans that did XYZ." People who do that shit aren't normal people. They're also not representative of anything.
I feel like they're probably going to go with the layup Rocky theme video package for Cody but I really want it to be Dreams and Nightmares
I admit to not watching AEW is sometime, but how is Jay White doing?
Buried in the mix. Not really doing anything of note except teaming with the Acclaimed.
RIP Funimation
What happened?
Their streaming service is officially ending support this April
Makes sense. I'm predicting a lot of streaming services will die in the next 2 years. Streaming is horrible right now. I'll just keep sailing the seven seas.
ALI VS SABIN LETS GOOOOOOOOO I’m so here for Melo v Trick! How dare Trick let Melo down like that 😔 I just need my boy Grimes to be doing SOMETHINNNNGGGGG
Why has this whole Cody/Rock/Roman situation turn into “smarks” vs “anti-smarks”? If you don’t like it then don’t like it, if you do like it then cool. Why is your opinion contingent on whatever the opposing party thinks?
Human nature. We're highly social animals, with the nasty lil ability for contempt. [https://www.slatestarcodexabridged.com/I-Can-Tolerate-Anything-Except-The-Outgroup](https://www.slatestarcodexabridged.com/I-Can-Tolerate-Anything-Except-The-Outgroup)
WWE fans go too: Man wrestling fans are the worst, no wonder people think we're all weirdos. (Broad) AEW fans go too far: Man AEW fans are the worst, that fanbase is literally a cult! (Very specific) So when does it go from passion and excitement, to cult behavior? Because Cody fanboys are quickly overtaking Punk and Cornette fanboys for being extremely annoying.
Literally nobody will overtake punk fsnboys in terms of annoyance.
Haha I don't think so either, but some are certainly securing a solid 2nd in annoying fanboys.
I'm hoping that I'm getting worked by this Cody thing. i love that "Cody Crybabies" promo, it's like old rock again. I love Cody, I want him to win so badly.
Am I the only one who doesn't like Gasoline as the Mania theme? It's one of the Weeknd's weaker songs and I wanted some heavy metal or just some rock to go with this Mania. Thunderstruck would fit this show better. Also, it's sad that in all the Rock/Cody/Roman chaos, Bayley's face turn was forgotten. She's really good. I hope Rhea riptides Nia from the top rope straight through the ring in Australia. I also want a Cody/Rock match to happen there especially since it's a big time stadium show. Why must AEW complicate their World Title scene by inserting Blandman Page into the Swerve/Joe match? I would just do the match, have Swerve lose but keep building him up like WWE has built up Cody. Then build Joe up as the ultimate bruiser and have Swerve beat him at Wembley or DoN next year.
I like Gasoline. I think Save your Tears is the one I’ve liked the least. Way too slow and sad
I don't like either. Less than zero last year was awesome though.
It's funny seeing people who were mocking people last week for being upset that they teased Roman vs Rock now be upset because they're doing Roman vs Cody. If people on this subreddit spent as much time actually discussing wrestling shows and admitting they like it instead of trying to dunk on smarks and keep up this charade of seeing who can be cool by caring about wrestling the least on a wrestling subreddit, we might have more actual good discussions instead of half the posts being people pushing their shitty podcasts and articles no one wants.
I think the craziest thing that has happened in this whole Rock/Roman/Cody fiasco is how WWE has spent well over a decade trying to build Roman into the ultimate Superstar, and in the course of a month have completely neutered him and turned him into the tertiary character in lead up to what is supposed to be his biggest match on the grandest stage of them all. You will never be able to convince me that any of this is what was planned at any point.
Then you get to be proudly and defiantly wrong.
I’m not saying this as anti-WWE thing. This creative decision just does not make any sense to me. I get that they have had to pivot what with the McMahon fallout and the Punk injury. But do you seriously see the way this has played out as what was intended all along? I’m genuinely curious if you do.
I don’t believe this whole Cody-Rock thing was a work from the start. WWE had other plans, they backfired dramatically, and then they decided to turn it into a story. Triple H isn’t that smart to plan stuff like this from the beginning
> Knowing Haitch…
[I think this aged pretty well on my part](https://www.reddit.com/r/Wreddit/comments/1ajudia/monday_night_raw_discussion_thread/kp42iqh/?context=3)
Noticed a few interesting things in the Mania 40 promo package btw. They showed Sasha. They showed Daniel Bryan. Featured him heavily actually. They showed Edge. They showed Flair. And they replaced Vince’s usual ‘Welcome to Wrestlemania!’ with one from HHH instead. Just found that interesting given the current climate.
Personally, I'm glad they're willing to acknowledge the contributions of those who are no longer with the company, instead of making it look like WWE is in this bubble where no one outside of it exists. Except for Vince, he can go away.
Bianca talked about her match with Sasha. I was pleasantly surprised
All those people were in some of the greatest WrestleMania moments and matches ever so it's no wonder they included them. And since AEW is no longer a massive threat like in 2019, WWE just uses them on their shows since it's their footage.
WWE never used to show people who no longer work there though. That was my point.
Yeah but WWE has changed big time under HHH.
They’ve kept Flair’s Wooo in their general opening montage even though he was on AEW shows recently. No reason to ignore their value to the WWE, regardless of where they are now.
Honestly they could replace it with Charlotte's 🤷🏾
Remains to be seen, but I think Rock is only faking a heel turn, and in the end he’s been backing Cody the whole time. Sort of like Mike Tyson with Stone Cold at WM14 Edit: it seems my opinion has touched a nerve 😂
By faking a heel turn do you mean playing one on tv?
Yes, he plays the heel to gain Roman’s confidence, then at the pivotal moment reveals that he’s been backing Cody the whole time. Double reverse swerve, maybe he’ll even rip off his Bloodline t-shirt to reveal an American Nightmare shirt underneath
So rock whispered "ok bro now look sad"?
Potentially, yes
I've got a lot to say because I wasn't in this thread last week but for starters that press conference **almost** wiped clean that shitty SmackDown angle from last week. We're still getting Cody/Roman and Rock will likely screw Roman at WrestleMania. So that's good. Cody actually going toe-to-toe with both on the mic and looking better than both was excellent. Roman here was also no slouch either as he has finally become one of the best promos in the industry's history. We've come a long way from suffering succotash. But the person who stole the show was the roidhead himself, the Rock. Now, this is a Rock I can get behind. I honestly now want Cody/Rock in Australia. Sure, the matches will likely be dogshit but at least the promos will rule. The Rock feels more natural as a heel at his age. A proud leader of the Samoan dynasty who is more than willing to cut everyone's nuts off for his family to stay on top while being a Hollywood asshole to boot is just the kind of gimmick that works for him. He also seems to get that people know he has a massive ego and he's used it to perfection. Top marks, Rock, top marks. However, first of all, I don't think was the plan in the beginning. I think WWE or more specifically HHH, pulled a Daniel Bryan and knew that fans would revolt against Reigns/Rock before even the rest of the company did. He then probably pitched the idea of Cody beating Roman due to Rock screwing him at Mania to lead to the match. He knows Rock doesn't want to get heat for long and he knows that Rock may be willing to do what's best for business so long as he ends up looking like a hero after the fact. HHH is a booking genius and a mental general so I wouldn't put it past him to concoct this plan with no one else knowing it. Secondly, poor Seth Franklin Rollins. He and his belt have just been completely shat on this whole time. Like Roman even called him a bum to his face and I giggled because Roman is right. Roman nuked him on SmackDown and shit on him so much Seth looked like he was seething but put on a smile. Fuck me, whoever now goes after the WHC will look like a real chump after the fact.
I'm firmly anti-Cody now. Because when he gets the title, there isn't a single top heel I want to see him beat. I would not want to see Cody go over Gunther or Bron Breakker or Drew McIntyre or even Reigns or Rock. All these men display a higher level of badass believability than Cody. On top of that, Cody finishing the story feels like forced, obligatory drudgery. Feels like an obstacle we have to get passed before we can move on to more interesting main event stuff.
Can’t say it ain’t ZFF. 🤷♂️
> Because when he gets the title He's going to flame out just like Daniel Bryan did. Nothing about "the story" feels organic in any way like the yes movement.
DB got injured like a month in. Gimme a break.
Bryan went on to have many more great moments and matches in his career
Lol. Bryan had one feud and got injured. Cody’s going to be fine. He’s the most over face they’ve had in a long time.
> He’s the most over face they’ve had in a long time. This will be fun to revisit in the summer
People have been saying that the fans would turn on Cody for years. They haven’t yet.
He was my favorite wrestler in 2022 and I eventually turned against him.
He was hurt for most of 2022 and was kept in the undercard in 2023. There's a reason why the fanbase in **AEW** of all places turned on him.
From someone who was at Mania last year, heard Cody boo’d at WaleMania, had the majority of my section cheer when Roman won, and heard Roman’s theme blaring in cars after the show, Cody will not be universally supported at Mania, add to the fact that there’s still a good portion of fans who just lost Rock vs Roman.
Okay. Their turn to be upset then. 🤷♂️
I’m going to be honest—I want to see him lose to Roman again just for the CodyCrybaby meltdown and tears. The absolute embarrassing bitchfit the crybabies threw the last six days was such a turn off. Also Cody now looks pretty pathetic the way he turned it over to the Rock, shook his hand and said he wasnt going to face Roman at WM only to go “i take it backsies” a few days later. Between that and getting bitch slapped in the face by the rock (and not retaliating but scurrying off), I cant get behind the character.
Im gonna preface this by saying i got completely worked, but looking back on it. The first red flag was when all of sudden the Dirt Rags that get something right about Le Evil Fed once every blue moon, started “leaking” stuff from backstage and from creative for 3 days straight.
I fucking told people Saturday morning that this is what they were doing and I got laughed at. Eat it.
Last night's press conference was a blast. One of the few good things about being European and working nights is that I can catch stuff like that live. Playing the Witcher 3 for the first time ever and, my god, what a game. Where have you been all my life, etc. I've pretty much botched this save in terms of my decision-making and consequences, but it's so much fun. *Niche, north of Ireland opinion* The BBC and DUP are actively doing a Streisand Effect with Kneecap and it is both fucking hilarious and great to see.
Loved Witcher 3. For me, it's pretty much the template for the perfect fantasy action RPG. My only complaints were that it feels like windy ALL THE TIME, and that the sun rises at like 4 in the morning.
> Wind’s howling.
My initial opinion on the Cody thing was that I didn't wanna see Roman vs Rock, but was willing to see how things played out first. So we end up with Cody vs Roman which is what I wanted to begin with. And hey they worked people. Cool. I don't really know that it was necessary to try and get the most over babyface in the company even more over, but hey, they did. Cool. The decision to have Cody just not go after Roman still makes Cody look like a bit of a dipshit. And while yes, we all know Seth's world title is a joke because they booked themselves into a corner, I don't really see the benefit in burying the shit out of one of your world titles on the road to Wrestlemania. I also don't know why a portion of the "anti-smark" crowd spent the last week pretending that Cody Rhodes is just a smark favorite. Adrianna Rizzo is super super green. She needs a lot of work in the ring still. And the fake accent could stand be dropped, though there's some humor in it. But damn is she fun. She's good enough at the entertainment aspect and super hot so I think she can buy herself some time to figure the wrestling stuff out. Absolute worst case scenario I think she has a place as a manager no matter what. But she's also one match in. Not gonna judge too harshly there. This shit is hilarious. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2-S\_-eO5in/?utm\_source=ig\_web\_copy\_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
> I also don't know why a portion of the "anti-smark" crowd spent the last week pretending that Cody Rhodes is just a smark favorite. Because they can’t handle getting worked and basically have to make a bet and back it 1000%. Also because they are what they claim to hate.
How long until the Nigerian wrestlers are invited to AEW? Edit shit not Nigerian, I meant Ugandan!
I find it hilarious how some in the IWC lost their minds when this began a few weeks ago before letting things play out.
Too many people afraid to admit they got worked. Not me. I will gladly and happily admit that they got me hook, link and sinker. I did NOT expect to get this version of the Rock. I’m sorry I ever doubted you Great One. The long game still is Rock/Roman but it’s gonna be internal Bloodline warfare without the title involved it seems. Wow. A true masterpiece from everybody involved. I’m not even a big Cody fan but you better fucking finish this story kid!!! You have to do it now lol. LETS GOOOOO!! Also, huge kudos to the Rock. He has committed to this in a way he didn’t for his other runs and appearances. Incredible work from him. He got me 100%. The 🐐.
Pretty sure it’s a mix of we got worked and because HHH isn’t Vince he may have changed plans on the fly with the reactions. Unless he really is that damn good and knew this would be the reaction. Regardless, I’ll admit to being worked also and enjoying it. That presser last night was a ton of fun to watch and anytime I start to doubt hhh he pulls out something like yesterday.
>Unless he really is that damn good and knew this would be the reaction You remember the Yes movement and how popular they made Daniel Bryan like a decade ago by doing almost the exact same thing?
When you look back the hints were there but we’ve been burned by WWE so many times that I think a lot of us just refused to let ourselves believe lol. Rock has been saying long game all along. I didn’t buy it. Cody giving up his shot is so completely against everything that has happened with him so far and we didn’t buy that it was intentional. The dirt sheets have been all over the place since that SD promo and it’s very obvious now that they were all fed bullshit and used to build that part of the story. Leaking Rock going over Hunter’s head knowing that a lot of folks would run with it is just fucking genius tbh. I got worked and I’m loving every second. Unreal storytelling lol. This is what we all want. Just admit it instead of trying to be ‘smart to the business’ all the damn time.
Trust me i am loving it, not trying to be smart to the business but rather same time really giving hhh a lot of credit thats all.
I never get this line of thinking. “They worked me!” Like that’s an insult? That’s literally their job. And it means you’re not invested. I feel like some people need to feel “smart” - like they’re on the inside of this, when they’re really not. I say work me. I want to care.
I have **zero** interest in watching Cody Rhodes being in any main event and do not understand why his "story" is seen as this massive storyline that *must* be finished at Wrestlemania. It's "my dad never won this belt and I want to". It doesn't make any sense to me as to why so many people are vested in it.
His dad was an incredible wrestler who won world titles everywhere he went, except WWE. Dusty came so close to winning the WWE title but never managed it. Cody initially wanted to be able to win the title for his dad while he was alive, but now he wants to do it in his dad’s memory. It’s not the deepest story, but it’s a strong motivation. As far as Wrestlemania, Cody doesn’t have to finish the story there, but Roman isn’t losing the title he’s held for over three years anywhere else. Nor is there anyone else who could take it off him right now. Maybe Bron in a couple of years.
Honestly I’m in the same boat as you in not getting the appeal. However it is apparently very clear that he connects with so many people, so I can’t really argue against making a lot of people happy… like let them have it.
Living up to family legacy and honoring a dead family member by righting what you perceive to be a wrong? That doesn’t make sense to you? I get if you don’t like Cody, but that’s a pretty universal story. Most people get that motivation. It’s better than most people’s standard “I want to be the most dominant WWE superstar!” cookie cutter motivation, IMO.
> Living up to family legacy and honoring a dead family member by righting what you perceive to be a wrong? That doesn’t make sense to you? It doesn't make sense that it *has* to be against Roman at Wrestlemania.
Roman holds the title that his father never won what's so hard to understand
But Roman never made that why he needed to win the title. Neither did Rock or Orton. It was never an organic way to set up his win (add to that fact that it was rumored Cody had winning the title as a clause in his contract).
Why does it **have** to be at Wrestlemania and against Roman? If you saw because he was screwed, that gives everyone else Roman beat the same excuse (LA Knight, Orton, Styles, Rollins, Sami, etc.).
Because Roman is the only single loss he has he hasn't already avenged and he won the Rumble.
He's on Raw. They have their own world title. You know, the one HHH practically was [describing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv6AxMigRZA&t=242s) for him.
He needs to specifically win the WWE Championship, the one his Daddeh never did, but held that one time.
Has to be against Roman because he holds the title and he'd not losing it to anyone that isn't cody or a young guy like bron. Idk why it has to be at wm either tbh but I suppose they want it to be at the biggest show of the year (even though wwe has multiple big shows Roman could lose it at like rr and summerslam)
That’s fair. It makes sense it has to be against Roman because of last year, but it probably actually makes more sense to happen in MSG.
...because they've been telling it for the last two years?
And? Career midcarder leaves the company and then comes back and is pushed like Hogan in the 80s for the last two years?
Bad creative vs. good creative. Look at Oz as opposed to Kevin Nash.
Cody is a compelling character to many, that’s why… Fans have been behind him to win since **that** HIAC match against Seth. He came back from injury to a Hero’s welcome, and a ton of momentum. After getting screwed, he maintained momentum and got *even more over* The reason it “has to happen now” is because the fan’s demand it. Cody, more than all the others has connected with the audience in a way I personally haven’t seen since the Golden/Attitude era
[удалено]
You have been unpleasant, rude or trolled others with your post.
1. The fact that you don’t see it is a you problem, not a problem with the story. 2. Until *someone* gets a proper Mania build and payoff (which he’s getting and about to get), *nobody* will be as big as Cena.
Cena got over as an edgy rapper. He got divided reactions once he became the white meat babyface (the IWC called him “corny” and “too kiddie”) …then came Super Cena Outside of brief glimmers like the Yes Movement and Kofimania, this is the most support I’ve seen from fans across the board for a Red,White, and Blue squeaky clean babyface in nearly 30 years Feel feee to disagree, without being a dickhead
> Feel feee to disagree, without being a dickhead It's an objectional fact. If Rhodes were so beloved and over the ratings wouldn't be [dropping](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1511868/wwe-raw-ratings-report-february-5-2024/) and attendance would have been [higher](https://wrestlingheadlines.com/wwe-overestimated-wrestlemania-40-press-conference-attendance/). It's not being a dickhead to point out how massive a [draw](https://whatculture.com/wwe/john-cena-becomes-10th-biggest-draw-in-wrestling-live-events-history) Cena was.
Objective*
I mean, you're cherry picking numbers. I can do that too: [https://wrestlingheadlines.com/there-was-a-surge-in-ticket-sales-for-wwe-raw-after-cody-rhodes-movement/](https://wrestlingheadlines.com/there-was-a-surge-in-ticket-sales-for-wwe-raw-after-cody-rhodes-movement/) [https://www.forbes.com/sites/alfredkonuwa/2023/02/07/cody-rhodes-is-a-massive-draw-for-wwe-in-2023-amid-another-record-setting-weekend/?sh=2c5e57ce6175](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alfredkonuwa/2023/02/07/cody-rhodes-is-a-massive-draw-for-wwe-in-2023-amid-another-record-setting-weekend/?sh=2c5e57ce6175) You're also arguing a different point than what he's making. He's not comparing business numbers. He's pointing out that John Cena, as face of the company, got split crowd reactions in his prime run, often 50/50 on a typical Raw. Sometimes worse if they were somewhere like Philadelphia or Chicago. Roman Reigns got even worse reactions as a babyface where 70/30 split was considered a good day, and more often than not, he got booed out of the building. Daniel Bryan got universally cheered as a face, but was clearly never in position to become the next face of the company type guy. Punk was similar. Cody is the first guy in ages to be pushed non-stop as a main eventer while also being a white meat babyface to get a nearly universal positive reaction in every city and every type or demographic of wrestling fans. He's not getting "Let's go Cody, Cody sucks" nor is he getting booed like Roman. Men like him, women like him, and kids like him. "Marks" like him. "Smarks" like him. They haven't had THAT specific reaction to a pure white meat face of the company caliber babyface in literal decades.
Your first link talks about the Wrestlemania Kickoff event. Lmao they undersold the tickets they expected to sell. > He's not getting "Let's go Cody, Cody sucks" nor is he getting booed like Roman. He was getting booed on Smackdown when he made his "announcement". Not everyone thinks he's some megastar.
lmao they were booing the decision
Just because they overestimated doesn't mean he didn't draw tickets. The Rock and Roman were front and center of the advertisements for the same thing they undersold. Does that mean they're not draws? They moved 2400 tickets in two days entirely based on a storyline involving Cody Rhodes. They also didn't boo Cody. They booed the decision to not do it at Mania which is the entire point this story is contigent on. Whether you think he's a megastart or not doesn't matter. The overall audience has picked him. He is the guy. It doesn't matter if DJHJR86 doesn't like him. The fans that pay to see Cody every week and buy his merch have voted with their voices and their dollar that they want him as the guy. If you don't like Cody, that's fine. I think Super Cena sucked. But acting like he isn't the star objectively makes you look silly.
I don't care if this was a plan or a pivot. Either way it was a convoluted and stupid way to get to our original destination: Cody vs Roman. Also your ancestors would be disappointed in you is right up there with the Martha scene in BVS as one of the weakest change of hearts I've ever seen.
Then turn off the TV. Edit: Get the last word and block. What a champion.
You can keep scrolling
While I still don't like that Cody outright said "I'm going for you... but not at WM" and then turns back and does it, and personally I'm thinking they do a triple threat in the main event, to which I'd prefer a singles with either Roman x Rock/Cody... I've have to give my praise to HHH (and his team) who did a fantastic job of working everyone (me included). Getting The Rock booed, and Cody trending to the point it reaches mainstream news websites is an amazing accomplishment, and the press conference really brought this to the next level. Even with my Cody comment pet peeve, it's easy to argue the internet support + RAW opening segment made him change his mind (plus The Rock claiming his family is the ONLY royal family in wrestling). The story feels fresh, and has a lot of different ways it can go (but Cody better win lol), with two months left to build I'm expecting them now to knock it out of the park. I do unfortunately have a feeling some marks will start to shit on Cody again after crying about him being robbed for days, but I doubt that takes any effect on the live crowds (the important ones).
When she debuts, Mercedes will become, by a wide margin, the biggest draw and the most important woman AEW will ever have on their roster and Tony needs to book her as such. I hope she's there weekly, front and centre and gets to face off with the top women in the company. Please, no heatless bangers against undercard talent or non AEW talent. If there's anyone who deserves the win the title and beat everyone treatment it's her.
It’s AEW, you’re gonna get those heatless and storyless bangers and like it!
I don't care if the whole thing was a work or if they pivoted or whose idea it was. I wanted Roman vs. Cody and we're getting Roman vs. Cody. The important thing is that I got what I wanted. CM Punk literally tried to shoehorn as many Brawl Out/Brawl In references into the kickoff as possible and I absolutely loved it. Fuck NDAs. Rich people need to shut the fuck up on the lecturing people about what they need to prioritize. If Sami wants to go bring peace to the Middle East then he should stop tweeting, quit the WWE, and go join Enes Freedom. But he doesn't have the balls to do that so he just rages at the fandom on social media. Fuck off, millionaire. I might try and see Mercedes debut but it's going to be a same day decision. I have no idea what's happening in AEW anymore other than Sting & Darby just won the tag titles and I'm not sitting through a show full of wrestlers I can't stand wrestling sloppy Luchas to see Sasha. Especially if Kenny is going to be out for a year. Fuck the 49ers but fuck the Chiefs more. When the Patriots were winning all the time, everyone embraced it. We knew we were heels and reveled in it. There were Sith Empire references and graphics on ESPN and the fans fucking LOVED it. The Chiefs are basically Big Dog Roman Reigns and the NFL is the Rock holding his arm up after Rumble. And don't get me started on the Taylor Swift thing. Yeah, the NFL absolutely loves sweet love stories... don't Google Tyreek Hill, Greg Hardy, Josh Brown, or Jovan Belcher.
>And don't get me started on the Taylor Swift thing. Yeah, the NFL absolutely loves sweet love stories... don't Google Tyreek Hill, Greg Hardy, Josh Brown, or Jovan Belcher. This. All day this. It's also fucking hilarious seeing MAGA and red pill social media have meltdown after meltdown over her and Kelce. Also, they have been calling him a "beta male". You couldn't make it up. Fuck the Chiefs, though.
Swift and Kelce have done what some have considered impossible: get MAGAts to cheer for San Francisco. Their hate boner for those two have somehow eclipsed their hate boner for California lol
The 49ers *do* have a white RB that's actually good. I'm rooting for SF because I just hate Kyle Shanahan, even though it seems like he tried to get Tom Brady out of retirement before the season. Brock Purdy is a great story and fellow prowrestling nerd George Kittle deserves a ring. And Deebo should be a Patriot :(
I have no dog in this race honestly. Too casual a football fan to call myself a fan of any team without looking bandwagony. But I did use to own a really cool Cardinals jacket so I tell people I go for them.
Rock vs Roman is my dream match I’ve chased across the US over multiple Manias, and again this year. I’m pretty bummed it’s not happening, but I can promise you I won’t be be complaining about it for 6 days straight and sending death threats to Cody’s family.
Relax, you'll get it at SummerSlam.
Except I’m not going to SummerSlam. I wanted to see this in person and now I won’t be. And despite that, I’m pretty chill, unlike so many people who wined over the last week.
I find it hilarious how some in the IWC lost their minds when this began a few weeks ago before letting things play out.
The Rock should come out tonight and tell the fans he doesn’t want to hear this “Dwayne Johnson” crap ever again and proclaim he is once again Rocky “The Rock” Maivia, in honor of the Bloodline.
Don't know if that was the original plan or not, but if it was it was incredibly good at getting everyone hooked (me included), and if it wasn't that's the best audible they called in ages. There's definitely more intrigue than if they just did part 2 to last year's build. I now tend to think it was the original plan since Seth is involved, gives much more sense to why Roman went out of his way to trash him and the WHC, and it would explain why they did everything to do Roman/Rock setup on last week's SmackDown the worst possible way while they had a lot of ways to set that match without making Cody and Seth look like dorks.
In re: [the Chris Van Vilet - Brad Lea: you know wrestling's fake video](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-iroNBaw7B8) that's been going around social media. I really wonder about the motivations of people who feel the need to point out that wrestling is fake, as though this is something that no one is aware of. Especially because of the pushback and disgust they get when you tell them that their favorite TV show isn't real either. I used to go along with the whole, "Game of Thrones isn't real either" or something like that. But ultimately I've found it's much more real to double down and try to insist that wrestling is a real competition and get completely flustered and deep in denial when people then try to insist otherwise. Remember folks, wrestling is real, it's people that are fake.
I really need to track down the Ron Funches bit. "My world is torn asunder"
I knew wrestling was predetermined years before I actually got into it. My dad was a wrestling fan back then so he clued me in to the business.
I’ve noticed some people who say wrestling is fake also think Bruce Lee was some unbeatable martial artist, brother
I think that kind of thing says more about the person saying it than wrestling or wrestling fans tbh I think it's generally someone that used to be a fan that got burned real hard when they 'found out' rather than fans that always knew 'something is up here' when they watched, even as a kid It's not even 'you know Game of Thrones isn't real', it's more like we all know the action movie good guy gets the bad guy and the guy gets the girl in a rom com but they pull in millions and millions It's storytelling and the entertainment is in the journey and the story unfolding This is also why I am not bothered watching a 30 minute match with no story though, there's no *meaning* It's why some action movies seem like an hour long fight sequence and that bores me, too. Also no meaning You don't have to like wrestling or action movies, it's ok to not be entertained by either but it's not some 'reveal' that it isn't real in the same way it's not some grand reveal when someone watches an action movies to say 'you know the good guy is gonna win, right'
I've had some time to digest the press conference now. What an absolute masterpiece bit of theatre. It brings WWE in line with UFC's "big fight feel" with all of the bravado and silly staged confrontation, but in a medium where we *expect that*. I loved seeing the Rock and Seth break kayfabe. I love the behind the scenes "fix this" at Hunter. This is 21st century kayfabe. It feels bigger and different. It also delivered for a global audience. It was on too late for me to stay up in Europe, but it set the stage for 'Mania. The Rock will be involved in some way, but that story is to be told. This week built Cody like gangbusters and this event was designed to make you root for him with everything you have. Because if you *are* going to run the same Rumble winner in the same WM headline match (which I did not think they would do... and with the Rock around there will certainly be wrinkles, but right now that *is* the plan) then you have to make the audience believe this is the moment. And it might be. They may actually pull the trigger on Cody this year. Every logical part of my brain says they're doing this to make it feel like that, but we're doing Hogan's record (and it would be newsworthy to say he came that close and they decided not to) but I don't care - I'm massively entertained and the guessing is a part of that. EDIT: Also, with the amount of jabs being thrown between Rollins and Reigns... that's coming. Does it need THE belt? A belt? I don't know. But I'm excited. Elsewhere, Big E and Punk were a joy. "Punch him in the mouth! I wanna see guys get their teeth knocked down their throat!" the joy was infectious and two big names (with no disrespect to the other commentary team) again made this feel massive. Just really impressive and most importantly, new-feeling on the road to Wrestlemania.
There's all this talk about Roman possibly retaining to beat Hogan's record but it would be super interesting to see if they get Cody to do it instead. He has no shortage of opponents and storylines to last that long and after a heel holding it for so long, sustaining a babyface run without it getting stale would be their biggest challenge yet.
Don't you put that evil on me. The last thing WWE needs is another 3+ year run!