Filed under:
I get a lot of things wrong when it comes to pro wrestling prognosticating, but one of the few things I got right this month was predicting that Cody Rhodes was going to lose against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. That Cody had never once been laid out by The Bloodline in the build up to the match was one of a few factors that led me to that conclusion.
That being said, I was underwhelmed by the finish of the actual match because we’ve seen it so many times during Roman’s reign as the Tribal Chief. Roman is on the cusp of losing, only for Paul Heyman, the Usos, and/or Solo Sikoa to save the day. Rinse and repeat some variation of this finish for almost three years.
That’s exactly what happened in the main event of WrestleMania 39, with the added wrinkle that Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens also ran in to fight off the Usos. Cody was still one ally short of dealing with Solo Sikoa, whose Samoan Spike did him in right at the end of the match.
It’s funny how subjectivity and opinions work, though, because an underwhelming finish to one wrestling fan is the perfect finish to another. Here’s Stone Cold Steve Austin explaining to Sports Illustrated that he thought Rhodes vs. Reigns was a 5 star match with a perfect finish:
“I have a five-star scale, O.K.? I’m going all-in. To me, they got it just right.”
“They built it perfectly…and it was a classic. I loved it, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I texted a couple people who were involved, and I sent a one-word text: Magnificent.”
“I loved the finish. I loved all of it. Roman is so good right now.”
“To me, you can’t take that belt off Roman right now. You want to get it to Cody somehow, someway, some time—but now’s not the time.”
“I kept asking, ‘How are they going to do this?’ To have Solo Sikoa, who has a great career in front of him, Jimmy and Jey Uso, who are just so badass, plus Sami and Kevin, Paul E., I love all those guys—they all played a great role. Roman is so hot. It just wasn’t time to pass that torch yet.”
“Just thinking about that finish, I thought it was definitely the right call. I loved the outside interference. You didn’t know what was coming next. That spike to the throat, for me, it was money.”
Is Stone Cold right when he says you didn’t know what was coming next? When will the time be right for Cody to win the gold?
You know what to do in the comments below, Cagesiders.
Originally posted at: Read More