WWE Has A WrestleMania Problem With Cody Rhodes, And I Know A Way Out

Outside of Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes is the wrestler most responsible for WWE’s resurgence in popularity. He’s been worth every penny they’ve paid him since his return. You could even argue his match with Reigns at WrestleMania 40 is the exact moment the highest percentage of fans were happiest with the product since probably the Attitude Era. He’s everything you could want out of a lead babyface, but right now, well, right now he’s in the way.

That sounds like a horrible thing to say about one of the biggest stars in the company, but it’s also a frank appraisal of where we’re at with his character. He’s held the WWE Championship or been the main person chasing the WWE Championship for more than two years. Now that the belt is off him, WWE needs to introduce some new faces into the mix, but with WrestleMania around the corner, Triple H, Bruce Prichard and company look like they’re going to keep Rhodes in the title picture. That would be a mistake.

Let’s back up real quick. Rhodes lost the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre in one of the most shocking upsets I can remember in early January thanks to some interference from rising star Jacob Fatu. The decision was very well received, and in a smart move, WWE worked a provision into the contract that said Rhodes couldn’t demand a rematch. That has allowed McIntyre to work with other people, most prominently Sami Zayn at the Royal Rumble, but Rhodes hasn’t actually moved on to another storyline.

Rhodes, McIntyre and Fatu are still talking about each other and attacking each other on an almost weekly basis on television. Rumors are swirling that the three of them will fight in a triple threat at WrestleMania, likely with McIntyre retaining since fans aren’t exactly itching to put the belt back on Cody and Jacob, as amazing as he is, still feels a little underdeveloped to be given the most important title in the company. That’s not what I would do though.

Instead of putting Rhodes in a title match at WrestleMania 42, they need to spin him off to do his own thing with Fatu. Yes, it’s a little bit of a downgrade to put him in a non-title match at ‘Mania, but the most important thing for his character is to be in a hot storyline. This triple threat between McIntyre, Rhodes and Fatu is not a hot storyline. I’ve had plenty of excited conversations with other wrestling fans about how much they’re looking forward to CM Punk and Roman Reigns, the presumptive night two main event, but I haven’t heard a single person tell me they’re itching to see Reigns, McIntyre and Fatu. It’s a lot of “yeah, that should be kind of fun.”

We need to do better than “yeah, that should be kind of fun,” and Rhodes has proven over the years that he doesn't need the belt to create a compelling story. He did a lot of great work with Seth Rollins when he first came over, and I think if WWE let them build a real one-on-one storyline and let them go at each other on the mic, they could do something really fun in a few months. Jacob could go at Cody for being old and boring and say fans don’t want to see him anymore, and Cody could at Jacob and say he’s never accomplished anything and isn’t a main event guy.

That would free Drew McIntyre up to work with someone else for the WWE Championship, and there’s a really obvious person standing right there: LA Knight. He’s the one character fans desperately want to see get to the next level. He’s a natural babyface. Drew is a natural heel. Fans have watched LA Knight try and fail to get to the next level over and over again for the last three years. They would ride hard for LA if he got put in a big spot at WrestleMania, and it would be a joy to watch him go back and forth with Drew on the mic. There’s a strong chance they could put up a promo battle that we remember for years to come.

To me, getting there is pretty simple too. Cody, Jacob and LA Knight should all be in the Elimination Chamber. Cody and Jacob should screw each other over, which would further push the two of them into a feud, and LA Knight can take down the Chamber and give an it’s finally my time speech. The fans would go crazy.

There’s this conventional wisdom in the wrestling business that you need to put your biggest star at the top of the card for WrestleMania. Because of the casuals and because of the need to sell out a stadium, it’s imperative you put your biggest stars in the most high profile spots possible. I respectfully disagree.

The best way to sell a ‘Mania is to have storylines wrestling fans actually care about watching. Not a single person who wasn’t already planning on going to Mania is buying a ticket to Drew vs Cody vs Jacob, but people will certainly buy a ticket to try and see LA Knight finally get his moment. And who knows, maybe with a little time, Cody and Jacob could generate some momentum on their feud to the point where people would actually buy tickets to specifically see that.

The path is right here. Let’s make it happen. YEAAAAHHHHHHHHH!