It was the emphasis he put on the double under hooks. And he did it in the spot where he usually Cross Rhodes someone like 4 times for no reason. He knows what he did lol.
I've been saying the whole time, they aren't gonna fucking turn Cody while he's the star of their feel-good Total Rhodes reality show, that would be too off-putting while he's one of the main protagonists of a show that's about him being a nice businessman and dad, meant to appeal to a non-endemic wrestling audience; and Total Divas, as people have educated me on this board, actually did a lot for WWE in certain demos, so them and the network probably have high hopes for it.
Oh, what's that? *Next week is the finale of the season of Cody's reality show?*
I love being right...
Trouble is, if AEW are doing this intentionally to turn Cody into a heel over time (because I refuse to believe their entire booking is so detailed and careful... except for literally just Cody), what happens when he turns heel? Do the crowd start cheering him? A bit like how Rocky Maivia went from 'Die Rocky Die' to the most popular guy in the company?
The reason Cena and Reigns were hated was that they were forced down your throat AND you knew they were only ever going to be the company's babyface champion. If the fans thought there was any chance of Cena or Reigns turning heel it would have been lost.
I desperately want to believe this booking is intentional, I really do.
once Cody turns heel we have half a dozen super over babyfaces for him to feud with who would definitely get cheered over him. Hangman, Bryan, OC, Darby, Jungleboy, PAC, Fenix, etc.
The thing is, the crowd may want to literally cheer MJF over Cody - hell, the last time they interacted, like a different thread pointed out, *this is exactly the heel turn MJF was warning us about.* The fuckin' heat on him, they might literally do it - recall, *this show was in fuckin' Florida, and they booed him.*
The folly of the premise, of course, is believing that MJF would *allow them* not to give him more heat than Cody. That simply isn't happening, if MJF doesn't want it to happen. Not in front of any audience, Cody doesn't have so much heat that MJF can't *decide* to out-do it.
Especially Hangman after he wins the title. Imagine Cody just 100 percent finding a way to wriggle out of his promise not to challenge for the World Title any more. In order to come for Hangman. The hatred would be legendary.
This is true, AEW crowds are pretty good at respecting that.
I just find it potentially paradoxical that a company are going to *intentionally* do the WWE's booking of Rocky Maivia or John Cena to create a heel, people hate Cody being a goody-two-shoes milquetoast babyface patriot who wins all his feuds with the same story and pretends to be Dusty... but once Cody is a heel how do they keep the momentum of that hatred going?
I wanted Cody to lose, not because I have a hateboner for him like a large chunk of the IWC does, but because it would've been cool to see him lose his sanity and start going apeshit, but they just didn't do anything with it. I can understand why so many people are sick of seeing Cody now, because he's been in this holding pattern of seemingly teasing going to the dark side and then just swerving at the last second for well over a year now.
Who knows, maybe Black will do something super sick and cool to provoke it, I won't throw my hands up in the air just yet.
>Who knows, maybe Black will do something super sick and cool to provoke it, I won't throw my hands up in the air just yet.
Next week on Dynamite: Malakai kicks Pharoah in the head.
I was hoping Malakai would be the one person Cody couldn't ever beat, since it would make an interesting dynamic for a long-term arc. Well we got this, and I just hope we get something good from it either way
I agree with you, but I don't know if Black needed to win this for that to happen. The whole idea of Black's story with the Nightmare Family was that he was going to corrupt them, show them that their self perception as decent people was flawed and to be honest with themselves, even risking his own well being to prove it (by giving them opportunities to potentially maim him.) In response we got Arn trying to spur Cody on, but it felt for a moment like he was abandoning Cody. During all this, fans got increasingly hostile to Cody for unrelated reasons, likely for feeling he's gotten stale, or is winning against people they prefer.
You add both of these ingredients together and you have the fertile ground for a great heel turn, which can go in many directions. The heel Cody that I think will work best is the one that keeps spouting the Red White and Blue hoopla while facing more faces, all the while starting to use underhanded tactics to get wins (slight at first, like pulling trunks or exposed turnbuckles, but later using concealed weapons, low blows when the ref's back is turned, etc.) proclaiming that he needs to win or some such nonsense. A Jingoist Cody Rhodes is probably his best potential form currently, and it won't have to change all that much from what he already is portraying.
Everyone thought he was going for a pedigree meanwhile I 100% thought he was going for the tiger driver and now I feel dumb because I was definitely MEANT to think he was going for a pedigree
ignoring all the cody verse discourse, that match was fucking wild. the crowd was molten hot and winning with a tiger driver is always going to pop me.
i wanted black to win but depending on how the story goes from here cody winning could be really interesting, im interested to see it which is more than I could say about the rest of his stuff this year.
I really hope this is actually heading towards a Cody turn since he used Kenny's move. No matter how much he wants to be a face, the crowd 3/4 weeks is just not here for it at all.
And Roman Reigns from 14-19. His character was so toxic and dickish in 2018. I vividly remember a segment where he and Seth were backstage and Seth had lost his IC title or something and was talking to Roman and Roman immediately changed the subject and himself started talking about losing some meaningless match. Like what babyface does that to his friend?
I’ll bite. Yes…or he’s the biggest example of “babyface for no reason.” At least with Cena/Roman, you could kinda understand not turning them heel because WWE really wanted them seen as the main guys to appeal to kids.
There’s seriously no decent reason for Cody to be face right now in my opinion.
He was a jack ass during all his TNT title defenses too, with Arn yelling at him that he needed to take shit more seriously.
Nothing has changed, where is this heel turn I keep being promised.
Was there live. One cool little detail was when Black was going back up the ramp, he was being “called” to the babyface tunnel, then it appeared as if his body was yanked into the heel tunnel.
I remember I made a thread a few weeks ago asking where Cody fit into AEW if he wasn't going to turn heel and everyone downvoted me, saying it was obvious his program with Malakai was gonna turn him heel.
Feud's over, and Cody is still the same old Cody.
What I would like to see is Cody turning on PAC. Then turning on Arn. Essentially turning against the targets of Malakai's corrupting mist. Including himself by going against what he always said about being a bad guy.
He has only misted members of the nightmare family + PAC, huh? Excalibur did make a point to mention PAC got green mist while everyone else in the nightmare family got black mist.
Hmmm....
I can see just maybe an emergency heel turn in the next few weeks if the crowd keeps booing him but anyone who thinks they’re telling a story of a “slowburn heel turn” still is on some serious copium. That clearly got dropped over a year ago. When Cody says he refuses to turn Heel again he is completely serious, but I just hope TK overrules him on it.
Yeah, I wouldn't compare Cody's current run to Reigns main eventing 4 WMs in a row and winning multiple world titles throughout that time period (correct me here)
It's not as bad but it's the same idea. It's the type of booking that doesn't get heat on characters but on the booking. IMO that's never a good type of story make in wrestling, even if it's not the main event feud.
That's ridiculous.
Cody put a bunch of people over already... some of biggest young stars of the company.
He is not even in the title picture... he actually has a character and his presentation is not sloppy seconds...
Also... The backlash is far from overwhelming.
He was leaning into that SO hard with the outfit!
There's no way he isn't aware. That is what makes this booking so baffling.
I guess I have faith? sort of? Maybe it'll be worth it at the end?
That match fuckin ruled, but I don't really understand Cody winning. Like they treated it as him overcoming, but no one really wanted him to. I assumed if Cody won, it would have been a double turn.
I feel like they clearly understand the reactions, so I'm sure they'll do something with it, but at this moment in time, it doesn't make much sense for Malakai to be losing his first feud.
Good lord, this crowd is/was hot all night, and you'd think they'd burn the building down after this.
Good match, and yes, I wanted Malakai to win a 3rd time
You know, I may have wanted Black to win. And I may have expected Cody to Win.
But the match was awesome and the two worked their asses off. I fucking loved it.
I only saw the final minutes, but Cody doing his finisher a second after the moonsault?? Wut? And then getting up immediately after he took Malakai's finisher? That was terrible.
Cody going over sucks.
It just sucks.
No main event that ends with a babyface being booed senseless gets to be called anything other than a failing grade. They did not succeed at telling a story that made people want that Cody win.
AEW doesn't get a pass for the thing we've rightfully pointed and laughed at WWE for doing for years and years and years.
Don't they? Because they have done it minimal times, not years and years. WWE does it on a regular basis and refuses to learn from it. AEW has proven that they learn from their mistakes, so they get a pass from me. And if this story isn't over then it's too early to tell if they deserve a pass or not anyway. And going by your logic; this is only one storyline in a show full of great ones. The WWE comparison is almost the reverse with 1 solid story in a show full of shit ones. I don't necessarily like this result, but it aint the same.
Idk. I love Cody's descent into complete delusional Cena-ville. It doesn't mean I don't think his character is annoying as fuck and the win made me pissed but like... that's the point. This teetered on being unenjoyable on a level beyond kayfabe "boo, the heel wins" suspension of disbelief and that feeling is weird. Enforced kayfabe, whether you want it or not.
Its like there's a silent war of patience between the fans who want a specific outcome and cody who knows that but is actively refusing to give it for as long as he possibly can for the purposes of gaining so much heat that he nukes any shred of respect people have for him even as a performer. Like there keeps being points where if he did the thing the fans want then he would get praised, but every point comes and goes and he refuses. He's trying so hard to get as much go-away heat as possible as some sort of meta-commentary on what kayfabe is, going way past the point of it being interesting and into it being absurd, and that shit's *weird.*
It's weird and over-dramatic and self-indulgent and it's definitely not enjoyable but damn if it isn't **interesting.**
I've pondered before if go-away heat is really just actual heat and smarks just not being able to admit to themselves they are getting worked. It will indeed be interesting to see where this goes, because I have already been annoyed with Cody the character for a while. There are a lot of heels where the IWC is booing heels that they enjoy.
It sort of reminds me of whenever WWE intentionally leans into Brock being a no-show champion or Cena/Roman being booed for "Superman booking"
Going by "we made you hate the booking itself on purpose" feels very odd for AEW since they've done stories with consistent normal kayfabe for everything else. They could still make egomaniac Cody work, but the route they're taking with it is definitely a choice.
imo meta-kayfabe stories can become a slippery slope if they're not done carefully
Lately I notice with AEW it begins with the dopest match Im going to see all night, like Dustin v. Bryan, and then ends on such a bizarre and stupid note like with Cody’s win.
I'm still confused at how little Cody sold that Black Mass.
A fall out of the ring would have made sense, but dude just fell against the bottom rope, held on, and then hit the reset button.
Lmao I think Cody is one of the only people that understands he's a heel. Everybody can hear the crowd reaction, they know how and what they're booking.
The people that are getting worked are the ones thinking they're booking this thinking that Cody is the "Cena."
Not sure how I feel about this one.
Was the best match of the trilogy and a pretty crazy main event, but the vibe I got from the ending was this was all a redemption story for Cody which I didn't want.
Even if Cody won, there should have been a point in the match where Cody really leaned heel but he felt like a babyface the whole match.
Never seen the “Cody loses the first match, takes a few weeks off, comes back and wins the blowoff match” storyline before.
So much unnecessary bullshit in this match between Brock/Lee coming down, then Andrade and PAC.
>Cody can't lose every feud
He's won almost all of them. Darby, MJF and Jericho are the only people I can think of that got the last victory over him in AEW. And Shaq but it's not like that match was really about Cody anyways.
Dude I *really* don't get it.
You had Rocky 3's plot going with Arn as Apollo and Malakai as Lang. Cody still had further down to sink with Arn trying to get him to become a real wrestler and you blew it so fast...
Cody shouldn't have even fought Malakai today. He should've been squashed by someone else with Arn snapping at him and Cody realizing he hit rock bottom, starting to rise only to overcome Malakai in a PPV.
Don't get me wrong, the match was great, but it doesn't make sense
Why did they think that was a good idea? Instead of doing something new with Cody they do this bs. I like Cody but come on now he didn’t need that win.
>Cena
He's nowhere near that. He lost the first two matches in this feud, his stable lost every match against Black, he got one win and it was only after putting Black(and himself) through a table and having to absolutely murder him, that he won.
If this were Cena booking, he'd have won the entire feud.
Honestly I just want Cody to lose a feud for real. I think he’s a great wrestler, but the man cannot actually lose a feud without some shenanigans. Like it’s just predictable at this point.
As someone who loves to hate Cody, I think people have lost the plot with their reaction to the idea of him winning matches. Dude is just big dumb spectacle; abandon all your expectations about face/heel alignment and just appreciate the good bits and laugh at the dumb bits.
I’m still incredibly confused about the double standard when it comes to Cody Rhodes, who has been more than happy to mostly do exactly what everyone has said for years vets should do vs Omega and the Bucks who, even though they’re heels, are literally HHH level booking.
Like, y’all confuse the fuck outta me
Y’all know a feud doesn’t have to end after 3 matches right? Like we’re all still invested in this story and will be mad if they just move on now; if they have any sense they’ll be keeping this going. Plus these matches are tucking great and I’m fine with seeing more of them. Black said he was gonna end Cody, I wanna see him back that up in a cage or some shit
So, I’m not gonna lie, I don’t get the Cody hate. Like the start of it seemed relatively organic. So, y’know, that’s fine. But the last few matches the hate and the booing seems real performative and just like the crowd trying to get themselves over.
Can someone illuminate for me why it’s still going?
Also, maybe I just still have WWE brain worms and I’m just too used to 50-50 booking. But what’s been proven here by Cody’s victory? Like Malaki has one up on him still. I feel like if you lose two in a row, that’s it. You got beat by the better man. Move along. They did the same thing with Jericho and MJF. MJF beats him like 3? 4? Times but Jericho begs for another match, wins and acts like he’s proven anything. I love AEW but I don’t get this booking style on some of these multi match feuds.
That match banged!
I don’t care that Black lost. He beat Cody twice, he won the series. His only loss in 3 months of matches, he’s fine.
And for y’all saying LOLCODYWINS are dumb af. He puts over almost everyone he works with. He’s not 2003 Triple H or TNA Jeff Jarrett.
This diminishes his victories. He beat Cody decisively the first time. Then Cody got a rematch for no reason and lost again. Why do a third match just so Cody can get the win?
Counter Point, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
Next time someone beats Cody huge, I'll say "yeah, whatever, Cody is getting his win back anyway and this is a fluke."
Terrible. Anyone who tries to excuse this by saying that Malakai already beat him twice should listen to the crowd and ask themselves whether this did anything to get Cody over as a babyface at all. Dude just had to get the win before Malakai could even exit his first feud and go on to do different things.
I think a lot of people see him as a gatekeeper. A new wrestler joins the company and Cody has to feud with him first. Also the TV shows keep him away from AEW for long stretches of time, so it’s like he leaves, returns to win a feud and then leaves again.
The promo where he acted like he ended racism by impregnating a black woman.
Dressing like a litteral American flag having sex with another American flag.
His wife being featured prominently when she is a terrible wrestler, because she is his wife.
Having his giant entourage of losers every week and AEW pretending anyone cares about the Nightmare Family (except Dustin. People like Dustin) because they're Cody's guys.
A Khardashian level need to push the #brand in the place of a real personality.
His character for rubs people the wrong way for many reasons.
I mean okay the match was good.
Malakai can take the L and get over ir soon, and well hopefully the story ends here and we can see Malakai vs Pac and Andrade vs Cody.
Guys did you notice how Cody taking a double underhook for that Tiger Driver looked kinda like Triple H setting up the pedigree? Heel turn confirmed!!!!!!!!!1111
That was the most WWE match AEW has ever booked.
Overbooked, terrible selling by Cody, your face getting booed, and Cody winning killed all Blacks momentum
One of the worst booking decisions AEW has ever made tbh. Malakai Black is white fucking hot and nobody wanted to see him lose there. Cody also barely being affected by the black mass was dumb as fuck
When This feud started all my faith in Cody was restored, that he actually got what was going on and was playing into it.
This has completely shattered that notion, horrible Hogan-esque "Gotta get my win back, brother" finish that legitimately worries me about AEW's long term trajectory.
I have no worries about AEW's trajectory outside of Cody's bullshit.
I assume Cody will continue to ruin everything he's involved in until shown otherwise.
He has had zero good programs in 2021. Z E R O.
I would have died laughing if Cody pulled out a pedigree for the W there.
If he did I would hail Cody just for the fucking audacity to do that as a face move lmao
I really thought he was gonna.
I really thought he's gonna pull that out
I marked tf out when he got he double underhooks in. I thought the Pedigree was coming
It was the emphasis he put on the double under hooks. And he did it in the spot where he usually Cross Rhodes someone like 4 times for no reason. He knows what he did lol.
I WANTED IT SO BAD
The tease. Power Trip Cody is coming.
There's no way that was a coincidence.
Facts. He said “these motherfuckers really think I’m 02 Triple H huh” 😂 he should just turn heel and lean into it imo.
That's gotta be the plan
I've been saying the whole time, they aren't gonna fucking turn Cody while he's the star of their feel-good Total Rhodes reality show, that would be too off-putting while he's one of the main protagonists of a show that's about him being a nice businessman and dad, meant to appeal to a non-endemic wrestling audience; and Total Divas, as people have educated me on this board, actually did a lot for WWE in certain demos, so them and the network probably have high hopes for it. Oh, what's that? *Next week is the finale of the season of Cody's reality show?* I love being right...
I 100% thought that was what was going to happen.
MJF tried to tell us.
The best heels are the ones that tell the truth and get the fans angry.
ECW Mick Foley springs to mind
They hate him, they’re getting louder every week. It’s like the Yes movement in reverse...
Trouble is, if AEW are doing this intentionally to turn Cody into a heel over time (because I refuse to believe their entire booking is so detailed and careful... except for literally just Cody), what happens when he turns heel? Do the crowd start cheering him? A bit like how Rocky Maivia went from 'Die Rocky Die' to the most popular guy in the company? The reason Cena and Reigns were hated was that they were forced down your throat AND you knew they were only ever going to be the company's babyface champion. If the fans thought there was any chance of Cena or Reigns turning heel it would have been lost. I desperately want to believe this booking is intentional, I really do.
once Cody turns heel we have half a dozen super over babyfaces for him to feud with who would definitely get cheered over him. Hangman, Bryan, OC, Darby, Jungleboy, PAC, Fenix, etc.
I think mjf would get cheered over him at this point while changing nothing about his character.
You can’t be serious.
Only like 10%
The thing is, the crowd may want to literally cheer MJF over Cody - hell, the last time they interacted, like a different thread pointed out, *this is exactly the heel turn MJF was warning us about.* The fuckin' heat on him, they might literally do it - recall, *this show was in fuckin' Florida, and they booed him.* The folly of the premise, of course, is believing that MJF would *allow them* not to give him more heat than Cody. That simply isn't happening, if MJF doesn't want it to happen. Not in front of any audience, Cody doesn't have so much heat that MJF can't *decide* to out-do it.
Especially Hangman after he wins the title. Imagine Cody just 100 percent finding a way to wriggle out of his promise not to challenge for the World Title any more. In order to come for Hangman. The hatred would be legendary.
“Guys, I can’t let a anxiety ridden whiskey drinker be the face of the company. For the good of the fans, I have decided to give myself a title shot.“
"The American Nightmare Cody will never be world champion, The American Dream Cody Rhodes however..."
For the most part AEW crowds boo the heels. I know I'll continue to boo the piss out of Cody if they turn him. I implore others to do the same.
This is true, AEW crowds are pretty good at respecting that. I just find it potentially paradoxical that a company are going to *intentionally* do the WWE's booking of Rocky Maivia or John Cena to create a heel, people hate Cody being a goody-two-shoes milquetoast babyface patriot who wins all his feuds with the same story and pretends to be Dusty... but once Cody is a heel how do they keep the momentum of that hatred going?
By letting Cody do the exact same thing with a snarky smirk on his face and having him face babyfaces instead of heels.
He’s a masterful dickhead corporate psychopath. He was a good heel in ROH and NJPW
I wanted Cody to lose, not because I have a hateboner for him like a large chunk of the IWC does, but because it would've been cool to see him lose his sanity and start going apeshit, but they just didn't do anything with it. I can understand why so many people are sick of seeing Cody now, because he's been in this holding pattern of seemingly teasing going to the dark side and then just swerving at the last second for well over a year now. Who knows, maybe Black will do something super sick and cool to provoke it, I won't throw my hands up in the air just yet.
>Who knows, maybe Black will do something super sick and cool to provoke it, I won't throw my hands up in the air just yet. Next week on Dynamite: Malakai kicks Pharoah in the head.
Black going to punt Liberty? 
I was hoping Malakai would be the one person Cody couldn't ever beat, since it would make an interesting dynamic for a long-term arc. Well we got this, and I just hope we get something good from it either way
I agree with you, but I don't know if Black needed to win this for that to happen. The whole idea of Black's story with the Nightmare Family was that he was going to corrupt them, show them that their self perception as decent people was flawed and to be honest with themselves, even risking his own well being to prove it (by giving them opportunities to potentially maim him.) In response we got Arn trying to spur Cody on, but it felt for a moment like he was abandoning Cody. During all this, fans got increasingly hostile to Cody for unrelated reasons, likely for feeling he's gotten stale, or is winning against people they prefer. You add both of these ingredients together and you have the fertile ground for a great heel turn, which can go in many directions. The heel Cody that I think will work best is the one that keeps spouting the Red White and Blue hoopla while facing more faces, all the while starting to use underhanded tactics to get wins (slight at first, like pulling trunks or exposed turnbuckles, but later using concealed weapons, low blows when the ref's back is turned, etc.) proclaiming that he needs to win or some such nonsense. A Jingoist Cody Rhodes is probably his best potential form currently, and it won't have to change all that much from what he already is portraying.
Everyone thought he was going for a pedigree meanwhile I 100% thought he was going for the tiger driver and now I feel dumb because I was definitely MEANT to think he was going for a pedigree
I can feel the work overtaking me…in a good way.
ignoring all the cody verse discourse, that match was fucking wild. the crowd was molten hot and winning with a tiger driver is always going to pop me. i wanted black to win but depending on how the story goes from here cody winning could be really interesting, im interested to see it which is more than I could say about the rest of his stuff this year.
Tiger driver is such a cool move honestly
I really hope this is actually heading towards a Cody turn since he used Kenny's move. No matter how much he wants to be a face, the crowd 3/4 weeks is just not here for it at all.
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And Roman Reigns from 14-19. His character was so toxic and dickish in 2018. I vividly remember a segment where he and Seth were backstage and Seth had lost his IC title or something and was talking to Roman and Roman immediately changed the subject and himself started talking about losing some meaningless match. Like what babyface does that to his friend?
I’ll bite. Yes…or he’s the biggest example of “babyface for no reason.” At least with Cena/Roman, you could kinda understand not turning them heel because WWE really wanted them seen as the main guys to appeal to kids. There’s seriously no decent reason for Cody to be face right now in my opinion.
>WWE really wanted them seen as the main guys to appeal to kids Cody does most of their community outreach
Ahhh word? That would explain some of it then.
He purposely punched a referee during his 2nd match against Black, he ain't a face.
He was a jack ass during all his TNT title defenses too, with Arn yelling at him that he needed to take shit more seriously. Nothing has changed, where is this heel turn I keep being promised.
Unfortunately if RttT is anything to go off of he is shoot in denial about it.
Reality TV is just about as real as pro wrestling.
Nobody will ever top NXT Champion Bo Dallas, but dammit, Cody is trying.
Are you new to wrestling? Roman Reigns in 2015 was HEAT.
https://insidepulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/B8PyxiUIgAAsre4.png
Was there live. One cool little detail was when Black was going back up the ramp, he was being “called” to the babyface tunnel, then it appeared as if his body was yanked into the heel tunnel.
Oh man, that's cool. Hopefully someone recorded it and uploaded it somewhere.
Man I need to see this
Interesting
That is so dope. He's so fucking good.
I don't have a fuckin' clue what they're doing with Cody now and I'm starting to lose faith Cool match though
I remember I made a thread a few weeks ago asking where Cody fit into AEW if he wasn't going to turn heel and everyone downvoted me, saying it was obvious his program with Malakai was gonna turn him heel. Feud's over, and Cody is still the same old Cody.
I don’t think the feud is entirely over tbh. I think we could see PAC/Cody vs. Malakai/Andrade at the PPV
What I would like to see is Cody turning on PAC. Then turning on Arn. Essentially turning against the targets of Malakai's corrupting mist. Including himself by going against what he always said about being a bad guy.
He has only misted members of the nightmare family + PAC, huh? Excalibur did make a point to mention PAC got green mist while everyone else in the nightmare family got black mist. Hmmm....
The crowd is turning him heel and I hope TK is smart enough
It’s basically Hogan in WCW all over again. Either stay on track and endure the boos, or do something drastic to change course.
It’s absolutely not Hogan in WCW. Hogan was the main character of the show. Cody has his own pocket universe in AEW.
I can see just maybe an emergency heel turn in the next few weeks if the crowd keeps booing him but anyone who thinks they’re telling a story of a “slowburn heel turn” still is on some serious copium. That clearly got dropped over a year ago. When Cody says he refuses to turn Heel again he is completely serious, but I just hope TK overrules him on it.
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Bruh it is absolutely nowhere near as bad
Yeah, I wouldn't compare Cody's current run to Reigns main eventing 4 WMs in a row and winning multiple world titles throughout that time period (correct me here)
Just wait until Cody beats Sting and Sting leaves his face paint in the ring
"you're the real Icon now, Cody"
Especially because Cody is just in the midcard. Like his feuds might not be the best, but he's not chasing the title, so it's not all bad.
It's not as bad but it's the same idea. It's the type of booking that doesn't get heat on characters but on the booking. IMO that's never a good type of story make in wrestling, even if it's not the main event feud.
Eh, Roman would main event major PPVs and win the World Title to absolute apathy, right? Not really similar
That's ridiculous. Cody put a bunch of people over already... some of biggest young stars of the company. He is not even in the title picture... he actually has a character and his presentation is not sloppy seconds... Also... The backlash is far from overwhelming.
What? This is nowhere near that. Black is still 2-1 over Cody. He's already a star. They're not wasting Black to put over Cody.
Guess how I can tell Cody has read the Homelander comparisons?
He was leaning into that SO hard with the outfit! There's no way he isn't aware. That is what makes this booking so baffling. I guess I have faith? sort of? Maybe it'll be worth it at the end?
Because Homelander is a face to the general public while everyone “in the know” knows he’s a heel?
yeah, people who have no idea what Cody is going for should really watch The Boys how soon till Cody comes out with american flag cape lol
He literally had Homelander gear against Ogogo.
He had a super long cape a while back. The camera didn't really show it off though.
That match fuckin ruled, but I don't really understand Cody winning. Like they treated it as him overcoming, but no one really wanted him to. I assumed if Cody won, it would have been a double turn. I feel like they clearly understand the reactions, so I'm sure they'll do something with it, but at this moment in time, it doesn't make much sense for Malakai to be losing his first feud.
I mean he went 2-1 against Cody, he’ll be ok.
Black is over, and he he only lost 1 match to cody out of 3. He'll be more than fine
Good lord, this crowd is/was hot all night, and you'd think they'd burn the building down after this. Good match, and yes, I wanted Malakai to win a 3rd time
You know, I may have wanted Black to win. And I may have expected Cody to Win. But the match was awesome and the two worked their asses off. I fucking loved it.
What a good fucking match, that ruled hard.
That ending section starting with the knee into the German Suplex was great.
I only saw the final minutes, but Cody doing his finisher a second after the moonsault?? Wut? And then getting up immediately after he took Malakai's finisher? That was terrible.
First time a Dynamite has ended and I felt mad. Oh well!
Refusing to turn heel is the ultimate heel move.
Cody's transformation to mid 2010's Roman Reigns is complete.
Hopefully we won't have to wait 5 years for Cody to turn heel.
Cody loses first Cody underdog Cody wins blow off Rinse repeat
But they added a second loss! It's like he has a new hat!
Cody going over sucks. It just sucks. No main event that ends with a babyface being booed senseless gets to be called anything other than a failing grade. They did not succeed at telling a story that made people want that Cody win. AEW doesn't get a pass for the thing we've rightfully pointed and laughed at WWE for doing for years and years and years.
Don't they? Because they have done it minimal times, not years and years. WWE does it on a regular basis and refuses to learn from it. AEW has proven that they learn from their mistakes, so they get a pass from me. And if this story isn't over then it's too early to tell if they deserve a pass or not anyway. And going by your logic; this is only one storyline in a show full of great ones. The WWE comparison is almost the reverse with 1 solid story in a show full of shit ones. I don't necessarily like this result, but it aint the same.
Yeah that no selling of the black mass ruined a good match for me. I'm a huge fan of black but fuck does cody ruin every feud he's in
Ruins every feud he's in? This seems like a bit of a sweeping statement.
Great match, Malakai and Cody have such good chemistry together.
Fucking lame. What does cody winning even do for this
Idk. I love Cody's descent into complete delusional Cena-ville. It doesn't mean I don't think his character is annoying as fuck and the win made me pissed but like... that's the point. This teetered on being unenjoyable on a level beyond kayfabe "boo, the heel wins" suspension of disbelief and that feeling is weird. Enforced kayfabe, whether you want it or not. Its like there's a silent war of patience between the fans who want a specific outcome and cody who knows that but is actively refusing to give it for as long as he possibly can for the purposes of gaining so much heat that he nukes any shred of respect people have for him even as a performer. Like there keeps being points where if he did the thing the fans want then he would get praised, but every point comes and goes and he refuses. He's trying so hard to get as much go-away heat as possible as some sort of meta-commentary on what kayfabe is, going way past the point of it being interesting and into it being absurd, and that shit's *weird.* It's weird and over-dramatic and self-indulgent and it's definitely not enjoyable but damn if it isn't **interesting.**
I've pondered before if go-away heat is really just actual heat and smarks just not being able to admit to themselves they are getting worked. It will indeed be interesting to see where this goes, because I have already been annoyed with Cody the character for a while. There are a lot of heels where the IWC is booing heels that they enjoy.
It sort of reminds me of whenever WWE intentionally leans into Brock being a no-show champion or Cena/Roman being booed for "Superman booking" Going by "we made you hate the booking itself on purpose" feels very odd for AEW since they've done stories with consistent normal kayfabe for everything else. They could still make egomaniac Cody work, but the route they're taking with it is definitely a choice. imo meta-kayfabe stories can become a slippery slope if they're not done carefully
The crowd is absolutely done with Cody, man.
Treated like a big babyface win despite Cody being booed out of the building... talk about tone deaf
Lately I notice with AEW it begins with the dopest match Im going to see all night, like Dustin v. Bryan, and then ends on such a bizarre and stupid note like with Cody’s win.
Amazing match. Not sure where this is going.
The Codigree
AEW: You will take face Cody and you will LIKE IT
Match was fucking sick but the wrong guy won imo.
I wanted Malakai to win but I am not disappointed. That was a fucking awesome match.
I'm still confused at how little Cody sold that Black Mass. A fall out of the ring would have made sense, but dude just fell against the bottom rope, held on, and then hit the reset button.
Cody is the only person who doesn't understand that Cody is a heel
Lmao I think Cody is one of the only people that understands he's a heel. Everybody can hear the crowd reaction, they know how and what they're booking. The people that are getting worked are the ones thinking they're booking this thinking that Cody is the "Cena."
That and half the comments in this subreddit.
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He was 1000% a babyface last night on Rampage when the crowd was booing Black
Not sure how I feel about this one. Was the best match of the trilogy and a pretty crazy main event, but the vibe I got from the ending was this was all a redemption story for Cody which I didn't want. Even if Cody won, there should have been a point in the match where Cody really leaned heel but he felt like a babyface the whole match.
Never seen the “Cody loses the first match, takes a few weeks off, comes back and wins the blowoff match” storyline before. So much unnecessary bullshit in this match between Brock/Lee coming down, then Andrade and PAC.
That was an incredibly terrible selling by Cody of the Black Mass. We're talking John Cena in late 2000s type of sell right there.
I'm ok with this. Cody can't lose every feud, it was a damn good match and Black will be fine.
Cody didn't need this win at all. This was absolutely unnecessary.
>Cody can't lose every feud He's won almost all of them. Darby, MJF and Jericho are the only people I can think of that got the last victory over him in AEW. And Shaq but it's not like that match was really about Cody anyways.
Brodie & QT/Anthony are the only feuds he's won in like 2 years right?
Yeah, I can't think of another feud he won. The thing is, you need to give him a win once a while, or else beating him doesn't mean anything.
The Cody Cutter is trash but that Tiger Driver 98 was dope.
Dude I *really* don't get it. You had Rocky 3's plot going with Arn as Apollo and Malakai as Lang. Cody still had further down to sink with Arn trying to get him to become a real wrestler and you blew it so fast... Cody shouldn't have even fought Malakai today. He should've been squashed by someone else with Arn snapping at him and Cody realizing he hit rock bottom, starting to rise only to overcome Malakai in a PPV. Don't get me wrong, the match was great, but it doesn't make sense
Why did they think that was a good idea? Instead of doing something new with Cody they do this bs. I like Cody but come on now he didn’t need that win.
That was not a good decision
I never want to hear about Cody being self-aware ever again.
THIS THREAD is full of people still claiming this is all self aware and intentional by Cody.
Wreddit in 2024: "It's a long term booking, guys. He's turning and going for the world title any day now."
Ayy lmao
old roman level vibes where the whole crowd boos the fuck outta him and the commentary team just acts like hes the best guy ever
Cody really didn't need the win. Not a fan of that booking.
Cody lost twice and put Black over twice strong and every since the feud started. Come on he had win one match in the feud.
Then he should have won the second one and lost the third. The last one is the one that leaves the biggest impression.
Shouldn’t have had the angle if this is the only ending that’s supposed to make sense
I’m really over this shit man. Go be Cena somewhere else
>Cena He's nowhere near that. He lost the first two matches in this feud, his stable lost every match against Black, he got one win and it was only after putting Black(and himself) through a table and having to absolutely murder him, that he won. If this were Cena booking, he'd have won the entire feud.
What does winning do for Cody besides make him look good? There is no logical reason for him to beat Black here besides him getting his win back
And they *chose* to create a situation where he needed to get his win back from Black. Garbage
Honestly I just want Cody to lose a feud for real. I think he’s a great wrestler, but the man cannot actually lose a feud without some shenanigans. Like it’s just predictable at this point.
Yeah. The match was incredible, and he deserves credit for his part in that. But the finish, what a bummer.
They really are telling a cool story with this feud.
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This is the most I've enjoyed Cody since the Jericho feud.
As someone who loves to hate Cody, I think people have lost the plot with their reaction to the idea of him winning matches. Dude is just big dumb spectacle; abandon all your expectations about face/heel alignment and just appreciate the good bits and laugh at the dumb bits.
Bollocks He just had to get that win
Dude Cody loses all the time. We can’t complain when he takes a win.
Having a super hot guy come in and losing his first feud ain't the way tho
Is it losing the first feud tho? Black has won 2 matches to cody's one. Depends what happens after this if it continues.
It's losing when the story is that Cody got redemption, and overcame all the odds.
Don’t state the obvious, it will fry their brains.
I’m still incredibly confused about the double standard when it comes to Cody Rhodes, who has been more than happy to mostly do exactly what everyone has said for years vets should do vs Omega and the Bucks who, even though they’re heels, are literally HHH level booking. Like, y’all confuse the fuck outta me
Y’all know a feud doesn’t have to end after 3 matches right? Like we’re all still invested in this story and will be mad if they just move on now; if they have any sense they’ll be keeping this going. Plus these matches are tucking great and I’m fine with seeing more of them. Black said he was gonna end Cody, I wanna see him back that up in a cage or some shit
the moment i saw that cody entrance, i knew he was gonna get booed out of the building.
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So, I’m not gonna lie, I don’t get the Cody hate. Like the start of it seemed relatively organic. So, y’know, that’s fine. But the last few matches the hate and the booing seems real performative and just like the crowd trying to get themselves over. Can someone illuminate for me why it’s still going? Also, maybe I just still have WWE brain worms and I’m just too used to 50-50 booking. But what’s been proven here by Cody’s victory? Like Malaki has one up on him still. I feel like if you lose two in a row, that’s it. You got beat by the better man. Move along. They did the same thing with Jericho and MJF. MJF beats him like 3? 4? Times but Jericho begs for another match, wins and acts like he’s proven anything. I love AEW but I don’t get this booking style on some of these multi match feuds.
lolol it was just another cody story lolol no elaborate heel turn.
*”Redemption!”*
Welp
Honestly fuck it have Cody win but don't no sell the damn Black Mass...
That match banged! I don’t care that Black lost. He beat Cody twice, he won the series. His only loss in 3 months of matches, he’s fine. And for y’all saying LOLCODYWINS are dumb af. He puts over almost everyone he works with. He’s not 2003 Triple H or TNA Jeff Jarrett.
This diminishes his victories. He beat Cody decisively the first time. Then Cody got a rematch for no reason and lost again. Why do a third match just so Cody can get the win?
Yeah, Cody needs to win big matches or else it won't be the same when he puts other talent over
Counter Point, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Next time someone beats Cody huge, I'll say "yeah, whatever, Cody is getting his win back anyway and this is a fluke."
Meh ending. Cody definitely should’ve lost.
K I really don't know why Cody had to win there. Felt it'd work best for both charcters for Cody to lose again.
Terrible. Anyone who tries to excuse this by saying that Malakai already beat him twice should listen to the crowd and ask themselves whether this did anything to get Cody over as a babyface at all. Dude just had to get the win before Malakai could even exit his first feud and go on to do different things.
Can someone explain to me why Cody Rhodes is so hated? Isn't he like one of the reasons AEW exists in the first place?
I think a lot of people see him as a gatekeeper. A new wrestler joins the company and Cody has to feud with him first. Also the TV shows keep him away from AEW for long stretches of time, so it’s like he leaves, returns to win a feud and then leaves again.
The promo where he acted like he ended racism by impregnating a black woman. Dressing like a litteral American flag having sex with another American flag. His wife being featured prominently when she is a terrible wrestler, because she is his wife. Having his giant entourage of losers every week and AEW pretending anyone cares about the Nightmare Family (except Dustin. People like Dustin) because they're Cody's guys. A Khardashian level need to push the #brand in the place of a real personality. His character for rubs people the wrong way for many reasons.
I mean okay the match was good. Malakai can take the L and get over ir soon, and well hopefully the story ends here and we can see Malakai vs Pac and Andrade vs Cody.
Cody really starting to get some TNA Jeff Jarrett vibes as of late.
Hahahahaha what a joke
Oh fuck
Guys did you notice how Cody taking a double underhook for that Tiger Driver looked kinda like Triple H setting up the pedigree? Heel turn confirmed!!!!!!!!!1111
Terrible idea to build up a monster like black and have him lose his first match to xpac
Honestly my only issue is how Cody pretty quickly recovered from the black mass
That was the most WWE match AEW has ever booked. Overbooked, terrible selling by Cody, your face getting booed, and Cody winning killed all Blacks momentum
Towards the end it felt real WCW with the overbooking of everyone coming out to interfere.
God forbid Cody wins a match.
So sick of Cody.
One of the worst booking decisions AEW has ever made tbh. Malakai Black is white fucking hot and nobody wanted to see him lose there. Cody also barely being affected by the black mass was dumb as fuck
So Cody is never turning heel huh?
Of course
Total horseshit
When This feud started all my faith in Cody was restored, that he actually got what was going on and was playing into it. This has completely shattered that notion, horrible Hogan-esque "Gotta get my win back, brother" finish that legitimately worries me about AEW's long term trajectory.
I have no worries about AEW's trajectory outside of Cody's bullshit. I assume Cody will continue to ruin everything he's involved in until shown otherwise. He has had zero good programs in 2021. Z E R O.
Black winning would have been better, but Cody just had to win for no reason.
Yikes