‘Fuck your story’: The mess that Cody Rhodes ended his saga

On Friday (March 1), The Rock released a 20-minute promo in which he attacked Cody Rhodes, his dog and Rhodes’ new best friend, Seth Rollins. As wrestling monologues go, this was another masterful performance from the Great One that was as cutting as it was entertaining.

But above all, The Rock said it best regarding Cody Rhodes’ legendary quest to capture the WWE Championship.

“Fuck your story.”

Before I continue, I want to start by saying that I appreciate Rhodes as a performer. His character presentation and promotional style are still not to my liking, but I admire his work ethic, respect his professionalism, and understand why so many people like him.

I also value a portion of his fan base, those who wear their hearts on their sleeves and unabashedly show their affection for Dusty Rhodes’ son despite facing criticism for it. As someone who openly expresses his admiration for Roman Reigns, my tribal chief, I can sympathize with his situation as I navigate through the negative comments with a smile and a glass (or two) of teremana.

But since Cody’s return to WWE in 2022 and declaring his intention to win the title that eluded his father, the phrase “Finish the Story” and its variants have become nails on the blackboard of my soul. It has been repeated countless times on WWE programming, across countless wrestling websites, and is the marketing slogan for the WWE 2K24 video game.

While I would never go against my Tribal Chief, there is a part of me, no bigger than a grain of sand, that is rooting for Rhodes to win the title in ‘Mania just to end that annoying slogan, which makes tinnitus sound like the sweet sound of clifford brown.

However, this raises an interesting question.

What will happen when Cody Rhodes finally completes his saga?

If Cody Rhodes becomes WWE Champion, he will embark on a series of title defenses like all the champions before him. That’s obvious. But his fairy tale ends when he raises his hand and wears the title around his waist.

By clinging to the narrative as he has, Cody Rhodes has based his entire career on this one goal. Once he reaches the top of Mount WWE, there will be no worlds left for him to conquer and there will be no higher level for his fans to experience.

Ah yes, the fans.

Just as I will probably go to my grave with a finger in the air acknowledging the Head of the Table, multitudes of Nightmare’s disciples will continue to support their hero through thick and thin. But there are countless car fans who simply agree and will quickly abandon the Cody Express at the first exit ramp.

Bryan Danielson, during his time in WWE, said it best. Fans are fickle; They cheer you today, they boo you the next day. They’re the people who chanted CM Punk’s name for eight years, only to abandon ship at the first sign of trouble. The same guys who whisper loudly on social media that Seth Rollins, ten months into his World Champion campaign, has held the title for too long.

Once Rhodes makes his dream come true, these fickle fans will flee en masse once their euphoria fades and another shiny object catches their attention. “We want that guy to be our champion,” they’ll say. And they won’t hesitate to give Rhodes the nod once they become obsessed with the next big thing, whoever he is.

Aside from WWE extending the search for Rhodes as long as it can, the best case for Rhodes is to win the championship and have it immediately taken away from him in the most heartbreaking Money in the Bank retirement of all time. In that scenario, Rhodes would have a new adventure to set sail on, one that most fans would be happy to accompany him on.

But those are matters for Cody and his revelers.

As an astute fan of the art and history of sports entertainment, I will gladly suffer another four years of the tired Rhodes mantra for one reason: May 4, 2028, the day Roman Reigns would break Bruno Sammartino’s record as the longest reigning throughout the world. Champion in the history of professional wrestling.

WWE.com

During my almost 40 years of consuming professional wrestling, I have seen records created and broken. The Honky Tonk Man became the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion. Although it took him 35 years, Gunther came along and broke that mark into smaller pieces. Demolition dominated the golden era of WWE tag team wrestling. Nearly 30 years later, New Day broke Ax and Smash’s championship record, only for the Usos to finally blow both teams out of the water.

But the great one remains.

Should Roman Reigns survive? Wrestlemania and coming into late summer with the undisputed WWE Universal Title intact, he will surpass Hulk Hogan for the third-longest world title in company history. While I subscribe to the theory, “If you’re not first, you’re last,” seeing Reigns walk over my childhood icon and champion is of personal importance. And since Hogan’s long reign was the last of its kind, it makes Reigns’ journey even more significant.

But more than that, Reigns usurping Bruno, the man whose record is compared to Gangkhar Puensum, the world’s tallest unclimbed mountain, would be the ultimate achievement, talked about for generations, akin to Barry Bonds breaking the record. of home runs of all time. .

For all these reasons, I echo with respect and humility the words spoken by the People’s Champion.

Cody, fuck your story.