10 WWE Wrestlers Who NEED A Big Push After Royal Rumble 2023
Cody Rhodes is getting the big WWE push. Who else...?
Cody Rhodes is a given; on last night's edition of Monday Night Raw, he in no uncertain terms revealed that he was headlining WrestleMania 39 opposite Roman Reigns.
Fans were thrilled at the prospect. Nobody hijacked his speech with chants of "Sami". People want to see what was instantly conveyed, through Cody's outstanding babyface promo, as a gigantic attraction.
It isn't 2014 or 2015 any more; the WWE audience has changed, notably because this current set of fans actually like the product. There is no longer any need to project pro wrestling onto WWE; an alternative exists, and the "Cena sucks!" crowd have migrated to AEW. The "Let's go, Cena!" set are still there, in impressive number, and in Cody, they have located their next square-jawed babyface hero.
All talk of defiance, of an uneasy political situation, has quietened. While this is very rich, coming from your writer, it's as if the cynics haven't grasped that WWE has managed to push two super-over babyfaces at the same time. That's likely because WWE was incapable of pulling off one unifying booking manoeuvre for two decades.
Cody is getting the big push ahead of WrestleMania.
Who should join him...?
10. Sami Zayn
Of course, there still is a slight risk at play. At present, fans seem happy for both stories centred on Roman Reigns to unfold simultaneously - but both need to be handled brilliantly for this tricky balancing act not to topple over.
Fans actually trust WWE's creative process now, so this shouldn't be an issue. It's a strange, unrecognisable feeling: the Bloodline saga has been so well-plotted, invisible camera contrivances aside, that worrying about it is pointless.
They are - ...surely - not going to f*ck this up.
Where does this all go?
Sami Zayn is going to lose in heartbreaking fashion, in Montreal, to heat Roman up as a heel to an incandescent degree before he finally drops the title. Does Jey Uso turn on Sami, in a swerve, to build the mooted Sami and Kevin Owens Vs. Usos match at WrestleMania 39? It can't end cleanly - it does nothing for Sami - but will fans be prepared to buy it, at this point? Are WWE actually building three main event babyfaces - Cody, Sami, and Jey - at the same time? If the tag match does happen, will it need to take a more textured, melodramatic turn?
The push needs to (continue to) happen, and it will - but in what form is a thrilling mystery.