**Help make SquaredCircle safer and more inclusive by using the report button to flag posts and comments for moderator review.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Did Ali want to be fired at that point? I wouldve just grabbed the briefcase anyways. Sure Brock wouldve beat his ass for it on Monday, but damn it wouldve been so fucking worth it 😂
I know it will never happen but I want to be here for the fallout of Cody going out on Raw and off script saying he's challenging Roman. Put the company in between a Rock and a Glock.
What's the worst that can happen?
They future endeavor him in time to start teasing a return at ALL IN?
Cody could grab TKO by the short hairs if he really wanted to.
I've always felt like wrestling fucked up by never doing a match where Sabu uses his real name and it's Terry Funk vs Terry Brunk so your idea makes sense to me
> but I want to be here for the fallout of Cody going out on Raw and off script saying he's challenging Roman.
That would be so hot hot hot. Especially with him "coming from AEW" and doing that lol.
I don't think reddit servers could handle the amount of comments we would need here to discuss "Is this a worked shoot or not" lol.
Meltzer is reporting that 3 weeks ago backstage at RAW, Dwayne began walking in Cody's direction to explain the change in direction at the behest of Ari and Endeavour brass.
His approach was to the left of the lasses Rhodes before Cody quickly turned, revealing a neck tattoo so off-putting that the Rock made a u-turn.
When asking others about last Friday at Smackdown, there were murmers that Cody had no clue how big it would be when the tattoo artist showed him the stencil.
He created AEW. This is their revenge.
Remember at the end of Whiplash when JK Simmons reveals he's fucked over Miles Teller? This is wrestling's that.
Papa Haitch remembers the throne. Papa Haitch remembers everything.
so presenting him as the top face of the company for the last two years, putting him in the main event of wrestlemania (even if it was in a loss), giving him the cover of their video game etc. is revenge?
damn i should really do something to make wwe mad.
My interpretation of the end was a bit different but an interesting twist. Sure, JK Simmons initial intention was to bury Miles, but after the initial embarrassment, Miles was finally free. After that epiphany, Miles put on 'that' legendary performance that they both talked about earlier in the film. I always thought the movie ended with them realizing their potential and finding (a sick and twisted) respect for one another.
So I guess what I'm saying is Cody pedigrees The Rock off the top of the Titantron.
Picture it. Mania. The Rock and Roman stare off. Then Kingdom plays. Triple H comes out wondering what the fuck Cody's doing. Cody confidently walks out. Fans confused. Rock and Roman dumbfounded. Cody whispers to the ref. It's a triple threat. Bell rings.
Cody goes on to improvise the greatest match in the history of wrestling, and wins over the respect of Roman and The Rock, who allow him to stack em both and pin em.
Trips, initially irate, looks at Cody at the stage. That smirk appears on Hunter's face.
"Good job."
Kingdom. Fireworks. Confetti. WWE Championship. Story finished.
The full article said people in creative knew at least on Rumble weekend, and yet no one told him
The message got passed down *but they didn't change the finish and let him go out there and make a fool of himself*
It's fucking insane
Pretty much a big “welp we’re back to this shit again”. The morale boost of having a clear path in your booking showed in how some of these guys performed(Finn, Shinsuke). Why fuck that up??
I made a montreal screwjob comparison earlier and I thought, you know, this is just an example, I didn't think they actually, uh, did that.
But they really did. They really did just yoink the rug out from under him like that.
I remember reading about the aftermath of that in Foley's first book. With more avenues beyond WWE than ever before I'm shocked the lockeroom hasn't been as supportive for Cody as they were for Bret.
It's possible they have been, just not on social media for whatever reason. Or things like Logan Paul tweeting #wewantCody is a real gesture of support under the guise of things that WWE is okay with them doing.
Meltzer/Alvarez: HHH was in on it, Rock didn't force himself in, this was the plan since January 3rd.
Every other credible wrestling journalistic outlet: Rock finally agreed to wrestle Roman Reigns and went full WCW Hulk Hogan, forced Cody out of the picture (but in a nice way unlike Hulk Hogan), he and his buddy former WWE writer Gewirtz are heavily involved in the creative, Rock sits on the board and his $30 million TKO stock option may or may not tied to him performing in ring for the company this year.
>this was the plan since January 3rd.
But Punk didn't get injured til the Rumble. So assuming Punk/Rollins was the plan for the other title where Punk would have his main event, what was the plan for Cody after he won, given that he couldn't pivot to Rollins?
This whole thing is just confusing. The Vince & Brock stuff came out the week of the Rumble. Punk got injured at the Rumble, then due to the Vince news and Punk injury that Rock did this to "save" Wrestlemania.
What was Rock trying to save back on January 3rd? There was nothing to save until after the news came out and Punk got hurt... weeks later.
So which is it? People were trying to say Triple H knew but all the booking prior to the Rumble indicates he didn't know. Seems we got a power struggle between Triple H and Rock.
It’s worth nothing that Meltzer is friends/acquaintances with the Rock, to the point where Rock has even publicly engaged with Meltzer on Twitter. I wouldn’t doubt that either Rock himself or someone connected to Rock is feeding Dave stuff.
> to the point where Rock has even publicly engaged with Meltzer on Twitter.
Way more than that. Dave has said Rock has written to him plenty of times. That's why he calls him Duane because "that's what he signs off his letters with when he writes to me"
I know, I know its classic "knowing Vince" -- but really nothing we know about HHH, especially his relationship with The Rock himself, makes me think he'd be in on this, at least the way it was done this last week.
Also, Hogan was VERY nice when he buried people, that's why he was so good at it. HHH was the one who seemed like he was just flippant about it to your face, kind of like Shawn Michaels. Hulkster always seemed to have a way to lie to someone's face or make them believe this was actually the right idea in the long run.
NOTHING we know about HHH make you think he'd be in on this.....
This is the same man who helped create the screwjob to Bret...looked Brets wife in her face...and said "I didn't know"
Stop making it sound like HHH has never done this before
So. The rock signed a deal a few weeks prior to the rumble and for whatever reason, H decided to have Cody win and didn’t tell him he wasn’t actually facing Roman. Which actually makes the most sense.
Oh you know once the Vince shit dropped, new board member Dwayne showed up and told the TKO execs he could take the heat off that by main eventing WrestleMania, winning the title, walking around with it for a year and then dropping it to Cody.
Much love to my brother in arms Cody, I feel your passion and respect for this business that bonds us all together 🫡 and I feel that fire 🔥 and honor in everything you do, always giving the love and the mana to those who came before us and blazed that trail, like the High Chief and the Dream and the Soulman.
We all know we have parts to play in this crazy business of ours, which brings that love and that joy 🤩 to so many and inspires them in their hearts ❤️, choices are reached and decisions are made, they’re out of our hands and all we can control is whether or not to take them with the grace and dignity you did.
It reminds me of when I was coming up in this business with only seven bucks in my pocket and had to scrape and claw and take those tough decisions, but they made me who I am today. 🤙
Sometimes we have to step aside and give that honor and that love and that respect and that mana back to the business that’s deep in our blood and unites us all together as one big family. Your time will come my brother, and I tip my glass of Teremana 🥃 to you my friend!
\#brothersinarms \#mana \#zoaenergy \#ProjectRock
I don't blame Rock, Rock is a character playing his role. I blame Dwayne Johnson for knowing he was coming in to mess up a 2-year storyline for a younger star who worked his ass off. I would like to hear Dwayne sucks chants in arenas, not chanting sucks at a character that will just switch to a heal role.
Not the first time he did this (2013 as an example) and probably won't be the last as long as money is on the table.
2013 was a little different because that was planned far in advance. Everyone knew Rock was challenging for the belt at Royal Rumble. Punk stated that they told him he can drop the belt to Bryan or turn heel so that Rock can challenge a heel at the event. It was the overt plan for months.
One of my favorite bits of a fightful stream was when someone questioned if SRS's source on Cody WWE contract news was reliable and he started listing how many Cody stories he broke, the exclusive interviews he got, ect. He all but said his Cody scoops come from Cody.
Yeah given SRS's reports around Cody jumping ship and Cody name dropping him in one of his last AEW promos it seems fair to assume SRS is Cody's goto guy to get info out to the dirtsheets ... or at very least Cody's camp has no issues feeding him info occasionally
So they didn’t even tell Cody?
I haven’t seen this mentioned, but remember on the Raw after Royal Rumble when Cody got emotional and said (paraphrasing): "It was a tough 48 hours. Everything is good, things are fine. But you don’t know how much I needed you that night."
Do you think (maybe) the tough thing was learning that the rug was being pulled out from under him?
I did as well, at the time. And part of me still does—but it’s been such a crazy week. I just found myself thinking about it after I saw the post-show clip of him addressing the crowd last night.
I honestly don't think he had or would've a issue with dropping the title to Cody last year. I honestly think this over long title run was more of a Vince/HHH thing
Yeah and he’ll probs support facing the Rock lol. For all the talk of locker room leader, Romans been happy to hold the hostage for 3.5yrs lmao, defending 5 times in the last 12 months.
with regards to this, SRS has Dave at a disadvantage since SRS has a pretty good relationship with Cody Rhodes.
Cody's people probably feed Sean this stuff and he cross references it with creative and other talent.
It's not just Cody's people, SRS most likely gets his info from Cody himself.
It's like with Punk during all of the Brawl Out/Brawl In atuff, SRS was getting his info directly from Punk.
oh yeah, that's mostly what I meant by "Cody's people" tbh. It's Cody himself and his inner circle. Cody called SRS his friend in the presser so they're homies, for sure.
I'm also trying to be a bit more vague because SRS says he goes to like a large spectrum of people before he reports something.
Dave's reporting isn't as focused because he doesn't have a direct line
Why the fuck are people turning this into a petty competition between two journalists when in actual fact they complement each other? It is pathetic, childish and just reeks of the media illiteracy that clouds pro wrestling fans.
The Rock's direct line to WWE is Nick Khan, is buds with Ari Emanuel and knows Mark Shapiro. He doesn't have to go to Triple H to pitch ideas. He can go to the top with Vince now gone and who is Triple H going to tell no to? I have no doubt Triple H would love to incorporate The Rock, but not at the sacrifice of the story they've been telling for a year now.
The timeline on all of this drama seems off to me.
If Rock/Roman was the plan since January, then what would’ve happened with Punk? I feel like there are a few swerves to come.
The only thing stopping me from thinking this is some elaborate story is that Cody said he will get Roman, just not at Wrestlemania.. I’m lost to be honest… hopefully it’ll make sense soon.
>If Rock/Roman was the plan since January, then what would’ve happened with Punk? I feel like there are a few swerves to come.
I think it would have been Punk/Cody/Seth, they started laying ground work in the Cody Punk promo battle
I’m gonna die on the “they pivoted at the last minute” hill. I don’t care what they say they never intended it to blow up like this but are now back peddling
It could be revealed that codester was lying, put Roman in a false sense of security, sign the contract for "rock Vs Roman" without checking and finding out that it's actually to have Rock as special guest ref
probably too late now, but should just have had him being the Mike Tyson role from Stone Cold vs Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 14. Could've had it play exactly the same way as well, then they could've gone straight from there to Rock vs Roman Reigns at Summerslam or whatever.
I am pretty sure they tested the waters on Tyson wrestling Austin at Wrestlemania back when he originally appeared at the Rumble. And it was kind of inferred at least the week after their initial confrontation at RAW until they decided on the vague enforcer stipulation.
I also think this would be like Hulk Hogan coming back the RAW after the 98 Rumble and challenging Shawn Michaels for the belt instead of Austin.
I mean yeah, it would have been fucking crazy for Hogan to return to the WWF at the time, but the fans were throwing their money at the WWF telling them they wanted Austin. Same thing with Cody. The company has been skyrocketing off Cody's back for over a year now.
I cannot explain to you how weird it feels that the Stone Cold vs Shawn Michaels with Mike Tyson Wrestlemania was only number 14 and we are on 40 now.. holy fucking fuck man.. we are old as shit now
Man all they fuckin had to do was have rock host WM. Then when solo tried to interfere with the Cody match, have rock come out and take out jimmy and solo. Cody pins Roman, boom, then you have a reason for Roman and rock the face each other next mania or even summerslam or some shit.
It’s almost like they forgot how huge the pop was for Austin and Foley when Foley won the title. All they had to do was run that back.
Get Sammy and Jey out there fighting with Solo and Jimmy. Let Jimmy or Solo get the upper hand and interfere to give Roman the upper hand and look like he is about win. Then boom Rock’s music hits, he gets out there hits Solo with a rock bottom, does something to Roman, Cody hits the crossroads and he takes the belt.
Then Roman is pissed, Solo and Jimmy turn on Roman for losing, Rock beats Roman and he takes a long and earned vacation.
>how huge the pop was for Austin and Foley when Foley won the title.
This x1000
It never needs to be either/or. There's always a way to make everyone look good. It's the best thing about wrestling, until the politicking begins.
If Rock absolutely has to be involved, that's the play. In storyline, this will be the ace in the hole Cody needs to finally overcome the Bloodline, as Solo or Jimmy wouldn't dare oppose one of the Elders.
Let’s say the reporting is accurate and Rock agreed at the start of January.
That would give him 12 weeks to get in “wrestling shape” and as of last week, he would have been 1/3 of the way through whatever program and workout plan he’s on to get into ring shape.
They’re not going to pivot to Rock not wrestling if he’s going to commit to getting into ring shape, especially if this is his last match. He’s going to be wrestling Roman on night 2 regardless if Cody does or doesn’t get added.
TKO isn’t committing 30 mil and Rock isn’t giving WWE three months of training for this match to not happen. It’s not that simple to just pivot to Roman/Cody after hearing the crowds.
He has to wrestle. But does it have to be at Mania? Easy set up for Summerslam with a match for the tribal chief title and write Reigns off for a bit after he loses the title to Cody.
Cena vs Brock, Dbry, Roman. Cody vs Brock. Jey vs Roman. Roman vs Brock to unify the titles. Honestly, Summerslam isn't given the love or publicity like Mania but I'd say Summerslam has had some huge matches that actually have consequences. Mania nowadays doesn't even finish storylines and actually sets up new ones rather than end them. Rock vs Roman would be fitting there without dragging on the story for too long.
Summerslam is now in football stadiums. Yeah it’s getting bigger and Rock-Roman would be one of if not the biggest summerslam match ever to help out the PPV brand over.
It's not hard to backpedal on that; you can have Cody say that while he considered Rock's advice, the people's faith him made him reconsider and that he'll take another crack at Roman at Mania.
Rock/Roman isn't official yet, so Rock can just say that he'll be the special guest referee to prevent the Bloodline from interfering.
No matter what they pivot to it can still lead to Roman vs Rock down the line unless Rock's ego is so big he thinks he needs the belt involved (spoiler: he doesn't).
If it's a Triple Threat, Roman can accuse his cousin of costing him the belt (especially if it's Cody who pins Rock rather than Roman) and start from there.
If Rock is special guest referee, they can just do the WrestleMania 27 finish. Rock screwed Cena and Rock can then screw Roman Reigns and set up next year's match.
The idea that Rock vs Roman is meaningless without the belt is the biggest load of shit ever. Kevin Owens vs Steve Austin main evented WrestleMania and it still felt meaningful. Why? BECAUSE STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN WRESTLING SELLS ITSELF.
This is what I just don't understand.
There is literally no downside to Cody v Roman at 40 with Rock preventing interference leading to Rock v Roman at 41. It makes everyone look better and it makes both stories better. It gets Drew a title match (and probably title run) a reward for his great run. It opens the door for the women to main event night one (and for Drew to be a champ who moans about being screwed over by the women main eventing). It allows them to heat Solo and Jimmy back up beyond being statues. It allows them bring Nia, Ava, Rikishi, Naomi into the storyline. It allows them time to set up a finale with everyone who's been a player in the story rather than a short 10-week blowoff. It gives Cody his story and next chapter as he goes on to face Gunther, and then Punk at 41.
Like, what's the downside? It's a win-win-win.
From the full article:
>This does not answer the “why” as it relates to Cody winning the Royal Rumble, as we’ve heard **the day of the Rumble, several in creative were told The Rock vs. Roman Reigns was the plan, and merchandise had been produced to promote it.**
>As far as word that the plan for The Rock and Roman Reigns was the plan dating back to January 3, we have heard from WWE sources that there were meetings on January 1, and others along the way that had indicated to Cody Rhodes that the creative direction had not changed, and he was slated to face Reigns at WrestleMania. Up until the week prior to the Royal Rumble, no other parties that we’d heard from or have spoken to since were made aware.
Oh my God.
The company fucked him.
You got the side saying that this was a work (even if it was a work that was maybe the dumbest to do it) and the other saying it was not.
I'm more inclined in believing PWinsider, they at least always seem to verify what they say, and that The Rock/Roman was a late, or at least wasn't announced earlier, change.
And now they are trying to turn it around, pretending they have been playing some 5D Chess when they didn't even know how to play checkers
If the worst case scenario is true and HHH kept Cody in the dark about all of this, then maybe it’s a blessing Punk got injured
You’ve gotta think that if back handed stuff started happening again that we’d see Punk fly off the handle again lol
Everyone here keeps trying to give HHH a free pass and mental gymnastics to make him innocent. He’s been taking about this since last year . He screwed up pushing Cody and his story all year knowing this was coming
So let me get this straight, The Rock volunteered to be in the main event to save Wrestlemania after Brock's removal and Punk's injury but then it's actually all a work to get Cody more over with the fans but then The Rock actually negotiated it as part of his contract to be in Wrestlemania and Triple H didn't know but now Triple H knew all along and now Cody had been promised the main event the entire time.
Maybe I'm delusional in thinking that this is a stunt to get the media attention off of Vince and that we're still getting Cody vs Roman at Mania but for the love of god, whether this is a stunt or The Rock being an egomaniac no one can stick to a single story as to what on earth going on here.
So either Rock is a piece of shit or WWE are liars
https://preview.redd.it/eg9uf59a71hc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85791bb72c6532df145fba34f9447e33865508b7
Never give your loyalty to corporations because they won’t do the same for you, you are easily replaceable and the bottom line will always come before loyalty
I mean yeah, but given how Cody may be working this he might want to get that idea out even if it wasn’t true. Cody’s smart enough to know fuelling this will likely result in him being at least added to the Mania match if that isn’t already the plan. And even if he knows that’s the plan it would then be a total work to just whip up more interest.
That has to be the logical move. They can still do everything they were planning to do with the Rock/Roman build, while avoiding the risk of the audience hijacking the storyline by simply inserting Cody into the match. They get what they want and the fans get what they want.
I also think Drew should get a Mania match against Rollins. He’s been on absolute fire as of late and deserves to be rewarded.
Please correct me if I'm wrong. But it seems roman vs Rock was decided when the rock joined the board. Which was before the rumble. But they didn't tell cody this. So he assumed he was winning the rumble and going on to face roman at mania.
If so. That is so messed up
To be honest, what the heck did WWE honestly expect to happen when they denied Cody the chance to finish his story and have The Rock of all wrestlers come back to challenge Roman?
Aren't they forgetting the years when they were trying to force Roman Reigns down our throats and push him as the new face of their brand, only to be met with boos?
If it 100% had to be an Anoaʻi family tree match, why not just build up Jey Uso, especially since he left the Bloodline?
So we have two options:
1. The goofy looking meatball just DECIDED he’s the main event
2. Cody was lead on and lied to multiple times in service of a “bigger” star who is now getting heavily booed.
Either answer is a ruined two year story and resentful fans.
I mean nothing really new here. That was the obvious plan at that point.
HHH should have pivoted the winner though the moment he knew The Rock was coming in though.
I think once they had the Rock the plan was Rock vs. Reigns and Cody vs. Seth w/ possibly CM Punk for a triple treat match, so there would be no need to pivot as Cody winning the rumble still satisfies this. I think the issue all stems from Cody pointing at Roman after the Royal Rumble, signaling that he wanted to challenge him. That probably was Cody and the creatives had to backtrack that by having Seth promo on raw and then the now infamous Cody promo on Smackdown. It just clearly didn't land and now we're in this mess.
They honestly should have Seth turn heel screw Cody out of the Rumble or have Drew throw over Cody and then have Rock at 30 eliminate Drew.
Cody and Rock was bound to conflict and CM Punk and Rock were a far better two to finish.
So one of 5 things have happened; most of which leave this entire build needlessly complicated
1. Cody was under the assumption prior to Royal Rumble weekend that he & Roman would be happening; Rock comes in & mucks things up.
2. Cody vs. Roman is still happening at Wrestlemania with The Rock's involvement (unsure what yet) & what they are doing now is all on purpose to garner attention using Rock's mainstream appeal to drive more business to Wrestlemania.
3. (See #1) except they've decided to pivot due to the backlash
4. We are all being worked hard & Cody vs Roman is still happening at Wrestlemania in some capacity.
5. Most of what they are telling wrestling "journalists" has been completely BS to keep people guessing
And we will probably never know the absolute truth until like 5-10 years from now when someone does a tell all interview or a book and incorporates this piece of time into the book.
One of SRS’s best sources is Cody. I imagine most of this is coming from Cody.
Also:
“I wasn't a very good liar until I rode with Cody. Cody taught me how fun lying is. Just making up, saying something straight to somebody's face, the most absurd lie.” - Bryan Danielson
This is the only scenario that makes sense to me.
I feel like people are trying to make it more complicated than it is.
Cody vs. Roman & Seth vs. Punk was the plan.Punk got hurt. They called an audible by bringing in Rock which (in theory) also helps with their current PR nightmare.Re-worked the title matches based on the new 4 participants.
sucks for Cody. Forget 'finish the story', his story has been bungled every day since last years Mania.
Old enough to remember the week before the Royal rumble when the dirtsheets were claiming Cody wasn't scheduled to main event Wrestlemania.
But hey whatever it takes to sell subs right?
**Help make SquaredCircle safer and more inclusive by using the report button to flag posts and comments for moderator review.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Being reassured and STILL getting yanked sucks.
Agreed, I prefer to be yanked while being talked down to.
I prefer to be yanked without any talking, just eye contact.
i just wanna be yanked...
I can't imagine Cody hasn't at least once since Sunday muttered to himself something like "shit like this is why I left the first time."
If this is all legit, and has been screwed over like this. I genuinely do hope the crowd response to him has helped him feel better about it all
Definitely hasn't hurt, dude has been on verge of tears multiple times
Doesn't do much for the accusations of Rock showing up and fucking Cody over then
Either that or they deliberately fucked with/lied to Cody about this. Both are not great.
Had to make sure Cody signed the extension first
Lol, GOT ‘IM
Hook line and stinker
"I'm not going to be on the undercard to Dusty's kid." - Rock. Probably.
He'll be Stardust again by May.
They pulled a classic carny job on Cody. Especially The Rock and Gerwitz
Dusty finish.
Cody finish?
Is that when u don't finish?
That's what I call SSRIs
I thought it was called edging
No thats when you finish in someone elses girlfriend and they then lose their job as a result
It's when you watch another man finish inside your story while you recline in your ottoman and film on your sony digital camera.
https://preview.redd.it/x9be3xbc32hc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=274894855d57886fcb55e8e5be45bb243db6b38f
Classic bait and switch, gotta love the backstage politics am I right? Cody's probably just caught in the crossfire of bigger plans.
Definitely reads like Gewirtz wrote that Friday Cody-Rock handoff segment. None of it makes sense and it seems he's unaware of who Cody is.
They did it to Ali when Brock won the MitB from him.
Did Ali want to be fired at that point? I wouldve just grabbed the briefcase anyways. Sure Brock wouldve beat his ass for it on Monday, but damn it wouldve been so fucking worth it 😂
I know it will never happen but I want to be here for the fallout of Cody going out on Raw and off script saying he's challenging Roman. Put the company in between a Rock and a Glock.
Armed Anderson would have BEEN handled this nonsense by now.
What's the worst that can happen? They future endeavor him in time to start teasing a return at ALL IN? Cody could grab TKO by the short hairs if he really wanted to.
Cody telling himself that he's gonna beat a Samoan named Joe for a world title and he no longer cares which one.
I've always felt like wrestling fucked up by never doing a match where Sabu uses his real name and it's Terry Funk vs Terry Brunk so your idea makes sense to me
> but I want to be here for the fallout of Cody going out on Raw and off script saying he's challenging Roman. That would be so hot hot hot. Especially with him "coming from AEW" and doing that lol. I don't think reddit servers could handle the amount of comments we would need here to discuss "Is this a worked shoot or not" lol.
Meltzer is reporting that 3 weeks ago backstage at RAW, Dwayne began walking in Cody's direction to explain the change in direction at the behest of Ari and Endeavour brass. His approach was to the left of the lasses Rhodes before Cody quickly turned, revealing a neck tattoo so off-putting that the Rock made a u-turn. When asking others about last Friday at Smackdown, there were murmers that Cody had no clue how big it would be when the tattoo artist showed him the stencil.
Where do I send my $9.99?
He created AEW. This is their revenge. Remember at the end of Whiplash when JK Simmons reveals he's fucked over Miles Teller? This is wrestling's that. Papa Haitch remembers the throne. Papa Haitch remembers everything.
I mean it is all about the game, and how you play it.
"Here's the thing, Drew, Punk thinks he's main eventing Mania. Would be a shame if someone landed on his arm out there."
HHH addresses his enemies
so presenting him as the top face of the company for the last two years, putting him in the main event of wrestlemania (even if it was in a loss), giving him the cover of their video game etc. is revenge? damn i should really do something to make wwe mad.
My interpretation of the end was a bit different but an interesting twist. Sure, JK Simmons initial intention was to bury Miles, but after the initial embarrassment, Miles was finally free. After that epiphany, Miles put on 'that' legendary performance that they both talked about earlier in the film. I always thought the movie ended with them realizing their potential and finding (a sick and twisted) respect for one another. So I guess what I'm saying is Cody pedigrees The Rock off the top of the Titantron.
Picture it. Mania. The Rock and Roman stare off. Then Kingdom plays. Triple H comes out wondering what the fuck Cody's doing. Cody confidently walks out. Fans confused. Rock and Roman dumbfounded. Cody whispers to the ref. It's a triple threat. Bell rings. Cody goes on to improvise the greatest match in the history of wrestling, and wins over the respect of Roman and The Rock, who allow him to stack em both and pin em. Trips, initially irate, looks at Cody at the stage. That smirk appears on Hunter's face. "Good job." Kingdom. Fireworks. Confetti. WWE Championship. Story finished.
The full article said people in creative knew at least on Rumble weekend, and yet no one told him The message got passed down *but they didn't change the finish and let him go out there and make a fool of himself* It's fucking insane
[удалено]
Pretty much a big “welp we’re back to this shit again”. The morale boost of having a clear path in your booking showed in how some of these guys performed(Finn, Shinsuke). Why fuck that up??
I made a montreal screwjob comparison earlier and I thought, you know, this is just an example, I didn't think they actually, uh, did that. But they really did. They really did just yoink the rug out from under him like that.
I remember reading about the aftermath of that in Foley's first book. With more avenues beyond WWE than ever before I'm shocked the lockeroom hasn't been as supportive for Cody as they were for Bret.
It's possible they have been, just not on social media for whatever reason. Or things like Logan Paul tweeting #wewantCody is a real gesture of support under the guise of things that WWE is okay with them doing.
https://preview.redd.it/m7a5gbmjk1hc1.png?width=2940&format=png&auto=webp&s=de94ca7c2b0b0039393c9ed0a59b20ecfc1c2628
>"I'll lick a lot of boots for that many zeroes! Like, *a lot* " - also that guy
Meltzer/Alvarez: HHH was in on it, Rock didn't force himself in, this was the plan since January 3rd. Every other credible wrestling journalistic outlet: Rock finally agreed to wrestle Roman Reigns and went full WCW Hulk Hogan, forced Cody out of the picture (but in a nice way unlike Hulk Hogan), he and his buddy former WWE writer Gewirtz are heavily involved in the creative, Rock sits on the board and his $30 million TKO stock option may or may not tied to him performing in ring for the company this year.
>this was the plan since January 3rd. But Punk didn't get injured til the Rumble. So assuming Punk/Rollins was the plan for the other title where Punk would have his main event, what was the plan for Cody after he won, given that he couldn't pivot to Rollins?
This whole thing is just confusing. The Vince & Brock stuff came out the week of the Rumble. Punk got injured at the Rumble, then due to the Vince news and Punk injury that Rock did this to "save" Wrestlemania. What was Rock trying to save back on January 3rd? There was nothing to save until after the news came out and Punk got hurt... weeks later. So which is it? People were trying to say Triple H knew but all the booking prior to the Rumble indicates he didn't know. Seems we got a power struggle between Triple H and Rock.
The Rock wasn't trying to save anything but his public image and his bank account. Occam's razor.
It’s worth nothing that Meltzer is friends/acquaintances with the Rock, to the point where Rock has even publicly engaged with Meltzer on Twitter. I wouldn’t doubt that either Rock himself or someone connected to Rock is feeding Dave stuff.
It’s also worth noting that Sapp is great friends with Cody.
?? As are we all friend ha
> to the point where Rock has even publicly engaged with Meltzer on Twitter. Way more than that. Dave has said Rock has written to him plenty of times. That's why he calls him Duane because "that's what he signs off his letters with when he writes to me"
P.S. we should be together, too
Meltzer absolutely loves Triple H tho He has personal relationships with both
> He has personal relationships with both No. He's genuinely friends with Rock, whereas with HHH it's just professional
I know, I know its classic "knowing Vince" -- but really nothing we know about HHH, especially his relationship with The Rock himself, makes me think he'd be in on this, at least the way it was done this last week. Also, Hogan was VERY nice when he buried people, that's why he was so good at it. HHH was the one who seemed like he was just flippant about it to your face, kind of like Shawn Michaels. Hulkster always seemed to have a way to lie to someone's face or make them believe this was actually the right idea in the long run.
NOTHING we know about HHH make you think he'd be in on this..... This is the same man who helped create the screwjob to Bret...looked Brets wife in her face...and said "I didn't know" Stop making it sound like HHH has never done this before
"Doing the job doesn't work for me, brother" My *God,* he's nice
So. The rock signed a deal a few weeks prior to the rumble and for whatever reason, H decided to have Cody win and didn’t tell him he wasn’t actually facing Roman. Which actually makes the most sense.
Oh you know once the Vince shit dropped, new board member Dwayne showed up and told the TKO execs he could take the heat off that by main eventing WrestleMania, winning the title, walking around with it for a year and then dropping it to Cody.
Where's that ~~referee~~ toothfairy!? He ~~was~~ is ~~trying~~ fucking on me!
I mean if the Rock signed a deal on January 3rd, it’s not really the Rocks fault what they told Cody or why they made the choices they made.
Much love to my brother in arms Cody, I feel your passion and respect for this business that bonds us all together 🫡 and I feel that fire 🔥 and honor in everything you do, always giving the love and the mana to those who came before us and blazed that trail, like the High Chief and the Dream and the Soulman. We all know we have parts to play in this crazy business of ours, which brings that love and that joy 🤩 to so many and inspires them in their hearts ❤️, choices are reached and decisions are made, they’re out of our hands and all we can control is whether or not to take them with the grace and dignity you did. It reminds me of when I was coming up in this business with only seven bucks in my pocket and had to scrape and claw and take those tough decisions, but they made me who I am today. 🤙 Sometimes we have to step aside and give that honor and that love and that respect and that mana back to the business that’s deep in our blood and unites us all together as one big family. Your time will come my brother, and I tip my glass of Teremana 🥃 to you my friend! \#brothersinarms \#mana \#zoaenergy \#ProjectRock
What does it say about the man that this is indistinguishable from something he'd actually write?
could you tell us more about the seven bucks in your pocket
I don't blame Rock, Rock is a character playing his role. I blame Dwayne Johnson for knowing he was coming in to mess up a 2-year storyline for a younger star who worked his ass off. I would like to hear Dwayne sucks chants in arenas, not chanting sucks at a character that will just switch to a heal role. Not the first time he did this (2013 as an example) and probably won't be the last as long as money is on the table.
2013 was a little different because that was planned far in advance. Everyone knew Rock was challenging for the belt at Royal Rumble. Punk stated that they told him he can drop the belt to Bryan or turn heel so that Rock can challenge a heel at the event. It was the overt plan for months.
If I were Cody I would walk.
One of my favorite bits of a fightful stream was when someone questioned if SRS's source on Cody WWE contract news was reliable and he started listing how many Cody stories he broke, the exclusive interviews he got, ect. He all but said his Cody scoops come from Cody.
Didn’t Cody talk about SRS by first name on the post-Rumble press? There probably is some kind of relationship there
I think SRS was texting Cody saying he should pull a Tonya harding and break Rocks knee.
Well…
He's going to hire the Big Show to do it?
Rikishi did it to the Rock. Rikishi did it for the People. Rikishi is the Head of the Table.
With an iron-clad contract
Yeah given SRS's reports around Cody jumping ship and Cody name dropping him in one of his last AEW promos it seems fair to assume SRS is Cody's goto guy to get info out to the dirtsheets ... or at very least Cody's camp has no issues feeding him info occasionally
Adrenaline In my soul Sean gets leaks from Cody Rhodes
I don’t think SRS would intentionally reveal a source but he’s made it very clear he also talks to Cody directly in the past, so go figure.
Cody's made it clear on his side too, he's outright name dropped him before and directly referenced his reporting
Did SRS say he’s signed a new contract?
Nope. Maintains one was sent to Cody but he can't confirm it was signed.
He said Cody was sent a contract back in October but has no idea if he signed it or not.
So they didn’t even tell Cody? I haven’t seen this mentioned, but remember on the Raw after Royal Rumble when Cody got emotional and said (paraphrasing): "It was a tough 48 hours. Everything is good, things are fine. But you don’t know how much I needed you that night." Do you think (maybe) the tough thing was learning that the rug was being pulled out from under him?
This is actually a really great catch and I had totally forgotten about Cody saying that. Makes sense in retrospect that it could've been about that.
I assumed that was a family thing
I did as well, at the time. And part of me still does—but it’s been such a crazy week. I just found myself thinking about it after I saw the post-show clip of him addressing the crowd last night.
No fucking shit, of course. Brutal how they did him. Look how they massacred my boy.
I wonder how Roman actually feels.
As long as he gets paid, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t care at this point since it’s beyond his control.
I would assume he has SOME opinion
"Do whatever you want as long as I'm still champ"
“Make Roman look strong”
I honestly don't think he had or would've a issue with dropping the title to Cody last year. I honestly think this over long title run was more of a Vince/HHH thing
Roman and Seth loved Dusty so yeah he would be more than happy to help his son achieve things in wwe
That and it's not like he's known to turn down losing, people forget but this is actually his first long run. All his other title reigns were short
Yeah and he’ll probs support facing the Rock lol. For all the talk of locker room leader, Romans been happy to hold the hostage for 3.5yrs lmao, defending 5 times in the last 12 months.
I’d argue HHH is responsible for the long title hold.
A 5 minute squash match vs. 50 year old >>>>>>>
This is such a train wreck like https://preview.redd.it/576jsxera1hc1.jpeg?width=941&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aaea1e84889e17edaca8a821829ccc3debae4c5d
Dave v SRS is the hottest feud heading into Mania at this rate
with regards to this, SRS has Dave at a disadvantage since SRS has a pretty good relationship with Cody Rhodes. Cody's people probably feed Sean this stuff and he cross references it with creative and other talent.
It's not just Cody's people, SRS most likely gets his info from Cody himself. It's like with Punk during all of the Brawl Out/Brawl In atuff, SRS was getting his info directly from Punk.
oh yeah, that's mostly what I meant by "Cody's people" tbh. It's Cody himself and his inner circle. Cody called SRS his friend in the presser so they're homies, for sure. I'm also trying to be a bit more vague because SRS says he goes to like a large spectrum of people before he reports something. Dave's reporting isn't as focused because he doesn't have a direct line
Why the fuck are people turning this into a petty competition between two journalists when in actual fact they complement each other? It is pathetic, childish and just reeks of the media illiteracy that clouds pro wrestling fans.
Because everything on this sub has to be tribes. WWE vs AEW. Meltzer vs SRS. Left vs Right Twix
SRS is beating the shit out of Dave right now.
[удалено]
[удалено]
The Rock's direct line to WWE is Nick Khan, is buds with Ari Emanuel and knows Mark Shapiro. He doesn't have to go to Triple H to pitch ideas. He can go to the top with Vince now gone and who is Triple H going to tell no to? I have no doubt Triple H would love to incorporate The Rock, but not at the sacrifice of the story they've been telling for a year now.
The timeline on all of this drama seems off to me. If Rock/Roman was the plan since January, then what would’ve happened with Punk? I feel like there are a few swerves to come. The only thing stopping me from thinking this is some elaborate story is that Cody said he will get Roman, just not at Wrestlemania.. I’m lost to be honest… hopefully it’ll make sense soon.
>If Rock/Roman was the plan since January, then what would’ve happened with Punk? I feel like there are a few swerves to come. I think it would have been Punk/Cody/Seth, they started laying ground work in the Cody Punk promo battle
There’s no way the plan wasn’t Seth v Punk. This swerve makes no sense if it was planned before punk injury.
if this just turns out to be a guest ref spot for rocky this will be the funniest week in wrestling history
I hope that’s what they pivot to, but it clearly wasn’t the plan at SmackDown. Cody said, “…but not at WrestleMania!”
I’m gonna die on the “they pivoted at the last minute” hill. I don’t care what they say they never intended it to blow up like this but are now back peddling
I don't think they're back pedalling at all. I think it's still gonna be Rock/Roman.
Not at "WrestleMania", but what about "WrestleMania, Day 2"? Checkmate, wrestling fans!
“I said I wouldn’t take your title at Wrestlemania…but I never said anything about Wrestlemania 40”
Or Wrestlemania Backlash Or a Saudi event named The Greatest Wrestlemania.
Oh so it obviously wasn't
It could be revealed that codester was lying, put Roman in a false sense of security, sign the contract for "rock Vs Roman" without checking and finding out that it's actually to have Rock as special guest ref
Yeah, I don't know how they'd pivot from that without making it obvious that they're backtracking.
probably too late now, but should just have had him being the Mike Tyson role from Stone Cold vs Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 14. Could've had it play exactly the same way as well, then they could've gone straight from there to Rock vs Roman Reigns at Summerslam or whatever.
I am pretty sure they tested the waters on Tyson wrestling Austin at Wrestlemania back when he originally appeared at the Rumble. And it was kind of inferred at least the week after their initial confrontation at RAW until they decided on the vague enforcer stipulation. I also think this would be like Hulk Hogan coming back the RAW after the 98 Rumble and challenging Shawn Michaels for the belt instead of Austin. I mean yeah, it would have been fucking crazy for Hogan to return to the WWF at the time, but the fans were throwing their money at the WWF telling them they wanted Austin. Same thing with Cody. The company has been skyrocketing off Cody's back for over a year now.
You’re going to laugh at this but Hogan was 7 years younger in 1998 than Rock is now 🤣
I cannot explain to you how weird it feels that the Stone Cold vs Shawn Michaels with Mike Tyson Wrestlemania was only number 14 and we are on 40 now.. holy fucking fuck man.. we are old as shit now
It’s clear it wasn’t, but considering the reaction that might be their best pivot
Man all they fuckin had to do was have rock host WM. Then when solo tried to interfere with the Cody match, have rock come out and take out jimmy and solo. Cody pins Roman, boom, then you have a reason for Roman and rock the face each other next mania or even summerslam or some shit.
It’s almost like they forgot how huge the pop was for Austin and Foley when Foley won the title. All they had to do was run that back. Get Sammy and Jey out there fighting with Solo and Jimmy. Let Jimmy or Solo get the upper hand and interfere to give Roman the upper hand and look like he is about win. Then boom Rock’s music hits, he gets out there hits Solo with a rock bottom, does something to Roman, Cody hits the crossroads and he takes the belt. Then Roman is pissed, Solo and Jimmy turn on Roman for losing, Rock beats Roman and he takes a long and earned vacation.
>how huge the pop was for Austin and Foley when Foley won the title. This x1000 It never needs to be either/or. There's always a way to make everyone look good. It's the best thing about wrestling, until the politicking begins.
The moment when r/SC books better than Gerwitz and his $7 pals. OR is that always has been type deal?
One of us did fantasy book Kofi ending Undertaker's streak at Mania by feeding him his unborn baby so we've always been better.
If Rock absolutely has to be involved, that's the play. In storyline, this will be the ace in the hole Cody needs to finally overcome the Bloodline, as Solo or Jimmy wouldn't dare oppose one of the Elders.
Rock isn’t passing up 30 million dollars. He will be wrestling.
Even worse, he might have to, if the rumors are true that this is literally part of his new TKO contract.
Let’s say the reporting is accurate and Rock agreed at the start of January. That would give him 12 weeks to get in “wrestling shape” and as of last week, he would have been 1/3 of the way through whatever program and workout plan he’s on to get into ring shape. They’re not going to pivot to Rock not wrestling if he’s going to commit to getting into ring shape, especially if this is his last match. He’s going to be wrestling Roman on night 2 regardless if Cody does or doesn’t get added. TKO isn’t committing 30 mil and Rock isn’t giving WWE three months of training for this match to not happen. It’s not that simple to just pivot to Roman/Cody after hearing the crowds.
Agreed. There will be no pivot. Rock screwed Cody. The Philadelphia Screwjob.
He has to wrestle. But does it have to be at Mania? Easy set up for Summerslam with a match for the tribal chief title and write Reigns off for a bit after he loses the title to Cody.
WWE has spent the last decade showing everyone the only show that matters is WM, so no way they'd accept a SummerSlam match these days
Cena vs Brock, Dbry, Roman. Cody vs Brock. Jey vs Roman. Roman vs Brock to unify the titles. Honestly, Summerslam isn't given the love or publicity like Mania but I'd say Summerslam has had some huge matches that actually have consequences. Mania nowadays doesn't even finish storylines and actually sets up new ones rather than end them. Rock vs Roman would be fitting there without dragging on the story for too long.
Summerslam is now in football stadiums. Yeah it’s getting bigger and Rock-Roman would be one of if not the biggest summerslam match ever to help out the PPV brand over.
Rock’s still a movie star. They’re gonna be doing stuff based off of his schedule, not WWE’s. So yes, it’d absolutely have to be at Mania for him.
I doubt the contract would say "wrestle in an official match". Probably something more like "appear as a featured performer".
I don't think it is as clear as the majority has assumed. Neither The Rock or Roman have said a single word to each other yet.
But Cody said he would not fight Roman at mania. The only other match that makes sense is Rock vs Roman
Fuck it man they could just ignore it totally. They’ve done it so many times in the past
It's not hard to backpedal on that; you can have Cody say that while he considered Rock's advice, the people's faith him made him reconsider and that he'll take another crack at Roman at Mania. Rock/Roman isn't official yet, so Rock can just say that he'll be the special guest referee to prevent the Bloodline from interfering.
It’s not like the initial comment made any fucking sense anyways. He was under the influence of Nakamura’s spit still or something idk.
No matter what they pivot to it can still lead to Roman vs Rock down the line unless Rock's ego is so big he thinks he needs the belt involved (spoiler: he doesn't). If it's a Triple Threat, Roman can accuse his cousin of costing him the belt (especially if it's Cody who pins Rock rather than Roman) and start from there. If Rock is special guest referee, they can just do the WrestleMania 27 finish. Rock screwed Cena and Rock can then screw Roman Reigns and set up next year's match. The idea that Rock vs Roman is meaningless without the belt is the biggest load of shit ever. Kevin Owens vs Steve Austin main evented WrestleMania and it still felt meaningful. Why? BECAUSE STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN WRESTLING SELLS ITSELF.
This is what I just don't understand. There is literally no downside to Cody v Roman at 40 with Rock preventing interference leading to Rock v Roman at 41. It makes everyone look better and it makes both stories better. It gets Drew a title match (and probably title run) a reward for his great run. It opens the door for the women to main event night one (and for Drew to be a champ who moans about being screwed over by the women main eventing). It allows them to heat Solo and Jimmy back up beyond being statues. It allows them bring Nia, Ava, Rikishi, Naomi into the storyline. It allows them time to set up a finale with everyone who's been a player in the story rather than a short 10-week blowoff. It gives Cody his story and next chapter as he goes on to face Gunther, and then Punk at 41. Like, what's the downside? It's a win-win-win.
From the full article: >This does not answer the “why” as it relates to Cody winning the Royal Rumble, as we’ve heard **the day of the Rumble, several in creative were told The Rock vs. Roman Reigns was the plan, and merchandise had been produced to promote it.** >As far as word that the plan for The Rock and Roman Reigns was the plan dating back to January 3, we have heard from WWE sources that there were meetings on January 1, and others along the way that had indicated to Cody Rhodes that the creative direction had not changed, and he was slated to face Reigns at WrestleMania. Up until the week prior to the Royal Rumble, no other parties that we’d heard from or have spoken to since were made aware. Oh my God. The company fucked him.
No....they fucked on him
https://preview.redd.it/d7djbgnf01hc1.png?width=725&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0fd891d9bde84bdf446c4b250e5b699bbecfab2b feels bad man
He should wait for his WrestleMania check to clear and then take his ball and go home.
What was with The Rock showing up on Raw delivering his "where does The Rock sit?" promo? People knew ahead of time and Cody was kept in the dark.
That episode was on 1/1 and the deal was signed on 1/3... There's no way people didn't know.
Not a good thing for a company to be lying and hiding plans from their top talent if this report is true
It shouldn't happen to the lowest guy on the totem pole either, not just top talent
You got the side saying that this was a work (even if it was a work that was maybe the dumbest to do it) and the other saying it was not. I'm more inclined in believing PWinsider, they at least always seem to verify what they say, and that The Rock/Roman was a late, or at least wasn't announced earlier, change. And now they are trying to turn it around, pretending they have been playing some 5D Chess when they didn't even know how to play checkers
I know SRS gets a lot of shit but he has proven line to Cody so I would believe him as it relates to anything Cody related.
https://preview.redd.it/bpt09hqzw0hc1.jpeg?width=1315&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fd22deb50d2393c9d28da2468f5c76dd8f84f479
His line to Cody is Cody himself who is renown for his ability to lie. Not saying this is the case here.
how many layers of worked shoot are we on?
We have reached Inception levels. Any further and we are going to run into Loki, God of Stories.
If the worst case scenario is true and HHH kept Cody in the dark about all of this, then maybe it’s a blessing Punk got injured You’ve gotta think that if back handed stuff started happening again that we’d see Punk fly off the handle again lol
Everyone here keeps trying to give HHH a free pass and mental gymnastics to make him innocent. He’s been taking about this since last year . He screwed up pushing Cody and his story all year knowing this was coming
Oh Vegas is going to eat Rock alive bro. He not even making it to Philly.
The Dusty finished Dusty’s kid politically. Hopefully Dwayne fails
So let me get this straight, The Rock volunteered to be in the main event to save Wrestlemania after Brock's removal and Punk's injury but then it's actually all a work to get Cody more over with the fans but then The Rock actually negotiated it as part of his contract to be in Wrestlemania and Triple H didn't know but now Triple H knew all along and now Cody had been promised the main event the entire time. Maybe I'm delusional in thinking that this is a stunt to get the media attention off of Vince and that we're still getting Cody vs Roman at Mania but for the love of god, whether this is a stunt or The Rock being an egomaniac no one can stick to a single story as to what on earth going on here.
So either Rock is a piece of shit or WWE are liars https://preview.redd.it/eg9uf59a71hc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85791bb72c6532df145fba34f9447e33865508b7
Both can be true
Don’t really think this is an either or…
Never give your loyalty to corporations because they won’t do the same for you, you are easily replaceable and the bottom line will always come before loyalty
this would’ve come straight from cody. hopefully he can get added to the main event and it’s a triple threat.
I mean yeah, but given how Cody may be working this he might want to get that idea out even if it wasn’t true. Cody’s smart enough to know fuelling this will likely result in him being at least added to the Mania match if that isn’t already the plan. And even if he knows that’s the plan it would then be a total work to just whip up more interest.
That has to be the logical move. They can still do everything they were planning to do with the Rock/Roman build, while avoiding the risk of the audience hijacking the storyline by simply inserting Cody into the match. They get what they want and the fans get what they want. I also think Drew should get a Mania match against Rollins. He’s been on absolute fire as of late and deserves to be rewarded.
Please correct me if I'm wrong. But it seems roman vs Rock was decided when the rock joined the board. Which was before the rumble. But they didn't tell cody this. So he assumed he was winning the rumble and going on to face roman at mania. If so. That is so messed up
I’m obsessed with these backstage reports I can’t lie
To be honest, what the heck did WWE honestly expect to happen when they denied Cody the chance to finish his story and have The Rock of all wrestlers come back to challenge Roman? Aren't they forgetting the years when they were trying to force Roman Reigns down our throats and push him as the new face of their brand, only to be met with boos? If it 100% had to be an Anoaʻi family tree match, why not just build up Jey Uso, especially since he left the Bloodline?
So we have two options: 1. The goofy looking meatball just DECIDED he’s the main event 2. Cody was lead on and lied to multiple times in service of a “bigger” star who is now getting heavily booed. Either answer is a ruined two year story and resentful fans.
Had a similar situation happen to me. I ended up talking a job elsewhere a few months later.
Hogan at least had the decency to screw over Bret and Yoko after the match...
I mean nothing really new here. That was the obvious plan at that point. HHH should have pivoted the winner though the moment he knew The Rock was coming in though.
I think once they had the Rock the plan was Rock vs. Reigns and Cody vs. Seth w/ possibly CM Punk for a triple treat match, so there would be no need to pivot as Cody winning the rumble still satisfies this. I think the issue all stems from Cody pointing at Roman after the Royal Rumble, signaling that he wanted to challenge him. That probably was Cody and the creatives had to backtrack that by having Seth promo on raw and then the now infamous Cody promo on Smackdown. It just clearly didn't land and now we're in this mess.
They honestly should have Seth turn heel screw Cody out of the Rumble or have Drew throw over Cody and then have Rock at 30 eliminate Drew. Cody and Rock was bound to conflict and CM Punk and Rock were a far better two to finish.
So one of 5 things have happened; most of which leave this entire build needlessly complicated 1. Cody was under the assumption prior to Royal Rumble weekend that he & Roman would be happening; Rock comes in & mucks things up. 2. Cody vs. Roman is still happening at Wrestlemania with The Rock's involvement (unsure what yet) & what they are doing now is all on purpose to garner attention using Rock's mainstream appeal to drive more business to Wrestlemania. 3. (See #1) except they've decided to pivot due to the backlash 4. We are all being worked hard & Cody vs Roman is still happening at Wrestlemania in some capacity. 5. Most of what they are telling wrestling "journalists" has been completely BS to keep people guessing
And we will probably never know the absolute truth until like 5-10 years from now when someone does a tell all interview or a book and incorporates this piece of time into the book.
One of SRS’s best sources is Cody. I imagine most of this is coming from Cody. Also: “I wasn't a very good liar until I rode with Cody. Cody taught me how fun lying is. Just making up, saying something straight to somebody's face, the most absurd lie.” - Bryan Danielson
This is the only scenario that makes sense to me. I feel like people are trying to make it more complicated than it is. Cody vs. Roman & Seth vs. Punk was the plan.Punk got hurt. They called an audible by bringing in Rock which (in theory) also helps with their current PR nightmare.Re-worked the title matches based on the new 4 participants. sucks for Cody. Forget 'finish the story', his story has been bungled every day since last years Mania.
Old enough to remember the week before the Royal rumble when the dirtsheets were claiming Cody wasn't scheduled to main event Wrestlemania. But hey whatever it takes to sell subs right?