10 Best Wrestling Matches With The Worst Builds
5. Cody Rhodes Vs. Seth Rollins - WWE WrestleMania 38
Given that a few months of it were booked by Vince McMahon, WWE has handled Cody Rhodes perfectly. He is the top babyface, raises the roof every time he appears, and sells tickets out the ass. Incredible at firing up, espousing good virtues and charming the arse off the public in a PR setting with his candour and wit, he embodies timeless babyface traits with a modern, self-deprecating sensibility.
Really, the only thing WWE has done wrong, aside from the endless uninspiring Judgment Day matches, was his introduction.
Or at least the bit leading up to it.
Basically, despite being a top star, Seth Rollins was annoyed that he didn't have a match at WrestleMania. At his most clownish, he visited Mr. McMahon's office. Vince called him a failure, but also said that Seth only had to ask to get a match. It was a strange, unfunny skit. WWE had lost the plot of why Vince was why he was. Seth feared getting fired and received the news of getting a match like a competition winner.
The presentation of Cody's debut at WrestleMania was fantastic, but also deeply surreal. Honestly, it was impossible to pay attention to the first five minutes. The visual of AEW Cody in WWE was just insane. He was the face and soul of the competition, and had buried WWE as a hobby.
That only underscores how gripping the basic story was, the masterful pace at which it unfolded. It had to be great to lock everybody in, and it was great.
Proper old pro stuff with none of the boring connotations, in one incredible moment - the first beat of the Story, winning the big one for his father - he stopped short of executing the Cross Rhodes and instead channelled Dusty with the flip, flop and fly.