It's the day after WrestleMania 40, and for the first time in a long time, the WWE has a brand new Undisputed Universal Champion. After the craziest main event of all time — featuring appearances from John Cena, The Rock, and The Undertaker — Cody Rhodes was able to overcome "Bloodline Rules" and defeat Roman Reigns for the championship. Less than 24 hours later, the wrestler revealed the original plans for the main event, as well as the special moment he shared with his wife that made him emotional even speaking about it.
As wrestling fans are still recovering as much as the Superstars from the sheer amount of awesome wrestling during Night 2's match card, Cody Rhodes popped by Today armed with his title and a lot to say about the PLE's main event. Along with dropping a reminder that the match is available to stream with a Peacock Premium subscription, the Today hosts were able to draw some big details out of the champion, including some confirmation about what the original plan was for WrestleMania 40.
Cody Rhodes Confirms The Original Plan For WrestleMania 40's Big Match
The reported story of how WrestleMania 40's main event came to be has circulated for weeks. It was rumored that The Rock included a main event requirement for WrestleMania in his contract when he joined TKO's board of directors. That supposedly led Cody Rhodes to reject the rematch with Roman Reigns despite winning the Royal Rumble, so that he could pass the baton to "The Great One."
Fans advocated passionately for Rhodes on social media, which resulted in the superstar changing his decision thus igniting a feud with both The Rock and Roman Reigns. Despite many believing the narrative Dwayne Johnson injected himself into the main event against Roman Reigns, there was speculation and rumors that the WWE planned for this exact storyline to drum up hype of Cody's rematch. Now, it appears that Cody Rhodes set the record straight and confirmed that the fans altered the company's original plan when talking about his win:
It feels so sweet, and it's validating because this main event at WrestleMania 40 was totally willed into existence by the fans. We were going to go one way. We were thinking The Rock versus Roman Reigns, they made it clear they wanted something else, and we got to the finish line. Extremely validating.
Assuming he wasn't just echoing fans' thoughts, Cody Rhodes appeared to confirm what many fans believed all along. The Rock returned to the WWE somewhat specifically for a main event showdown with Roman Reigns, but the fans advocating for Rhodes to get his rematch forced a course correction that ensured Reigns won't be breaking Hulk Hogan's title streak anytime soon. Had fans not been so vocal, Rhodes might not have "finished the story," so I can understand why it's so validating for him.
Cody Rhodes Had One Special Moment That Made Him Emotional
Now that he's champion, Cody Rhodes has to worry about defending the title he fought so hard for during an array of upcoming WWE events. So it's awesome that his championship journey is so intertwined with his significant other, former wrestler Brandi Rhodes. When asked if he had an opportunity to breathe since Wrestlemania 40 started, the champ got a bit emotional when bringing her up.
The quietest moment I got, which was just the most beautiful and special thing, was I got to do my entrance with my wife last night. And uh, [gets choked up]. That's as real as it gets. I can't do this, I can't make the sacrifices and all that without what she does. I was blessed to have her be part of that and WWE just did it right.
The moment is made all the more wonderful considering she knows how much the moment means to him. Brandi Rhodes has been by his side since he first left the WWE to strike up his championship run in Japan, and shared the small screen with him during his AEW days. I would love to see her be involved in his championship run in a greater capacity, but we'll just have to wait and see what the future holds.
Fortunately, we won't be waiting long as Monday Night Raw airs on USA on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET, even after WrestleMania! Tune in to see Cody's grand celebration as champion, and I'm sure at least a hint of who his first challenger will be at the Backlash Premium Live Event.
