The conclusion to WrestleMania 39 will likely go down as one of the most polarizing in the event’s storied history. After a historically great undercard, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes gave fans an absolute banger of a match, backed by an emotionally invested crowd that was so hungry to see The American Nightmare finally finish the story and fulfill his destiny. But to the shock of almost everyone in attendance and watching at home, The Tribal Chief continued his nearly one thousand day unbeaten streak and pinned his challenger (after some interference). In the week since, fans have argued about the conclusion, and now, WWE legend Kurt Angle has given his take.
Appearing on his podcast, The Kurt Angle Show (opens in new tab), The American Hero was asked for his perspective on the decision to keep Roman on top of the mountain, and he was clear he didn’t agree with it. Angle said he doesn't think it makes sense to keep one person as a champion for that long, and while he thinks Roman is great and deserves what’s come to him, he thinks WrestleMania 39 was the moment to turn Cody from star into mega-star. Here’s a portion of his quote…
I’m not gonna beat up on Roman Reigns because he is the man and deserves to be, but you know, we’re in a time now where if you’re champion for three years, it’s a little long. It’s too long because we’re not in territories anymore (when you weren’t on TV every week)… Now, Roman Reigns looks like he’ll hold the title for another few years. The thing is he’s on TV every week, sometimes twice a week and then pay per view every month. It’s just a lot. I don’t really believe the ratings are going to go down, but I do believe some people are going to lose interest because they’re not making other wrestlers. Roman had an opportunity to make a wrestler. He could have made Cody into a mega-star. Cody is already a star, but he would have been a mega-star if he won at WrestleMania. That’s just my opinion.
So, there are essentially two different perspectives about championship runs in wrestling. The first argues that the champion should be the biggest star in wrestling. Whoever is bringing in the most fans and drawing the most interest should hold the belt, and right now, that’s almost certainly Roman Reigns. If you’ve been to a live event for WWE over the last few years, it’s pretty clear the atmosphere changes when he’s involved. He has an aura about him that other modern wrestlers don’t have right now. So, by that logic, it makes a lot of sense to keep the title on him.
The other perspective argues that, to quote Ric Flair, to be the man, you have to beat the man. That seems to be what Kurt Angle is getting at. Sometimes in order to propel someone into that next level of popularity, they need a signature win. They need the moment for fans to fully embrace them, and beating Roman Reigns could have been that moment for Cody. It could have been a chance for WWE to make a second mega-star who is as big as Roman Reigns, which would have ultimately pushed the entire business forward.
Personally, I was happy to see Cody Rhodes lose. I love Roman Reigns, and I think Cody’s story will ultimately be better having faced some adversity. But that’s if everything works out as I hope it does. Delayed gratification is a dangerous game in wrestling. Just ask Lex Luger. He was so hot ahead of SummerSlam 1993. WWE didn’t pull the trigger on him taking the belt off Yokozuna, and the right moment never came back. There’s a very real chance that could happen to Cody, just as there’s a real chance he could build back up again and create a moment that’s even more satisfying than what we could have gotten at WrestleMania 39.
For now, all we can do is wait to see how this story develops. Based on what happened on Monday Night Raw, it seems Cody is moving away from Roman Reigns and into a program with Brock Lesnar. That’ll give him a chance to overcome some more adversity and work with a top star, but it also means his follow-up chance at Roman Reigns won’t come for quite awhile. Ten years from now, it’ll be fascinating to see whether that proves to be the right move. For now, all we can do is wait and see what Triple H (and maybe Vince McMahon?) decide to do and whether the crowd keeps up the momentum for Cody.
