5 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (22 May - Results & Review)

by Scott Carlson

1. Cody’s Heroic Babyface Routine Gets Turned To 11

Triple H Cody Rhodes
WWE

That Cody Rhodes. Isn’t he the biggest babyface who ever babyfaced?

OK, that’s a bit of a stretch, but they’re definitely going for gusto here with Rhodes with all the sympathy and underdog mentality possible heading into Night of Champions. It’s bad enough he’s facing Brock Lesnar, but he also is now heading into battle with a very likely broken arm, against the doctor’s wishes and against Triple H’s advice.

Rhodes is the battered and beaten hero who in his own words has nothing else to lose. If he doesn’t go to Night of Champions and face Brock, he won’t be able to face himself, but if he does, he faces insurmountable odds.

It’s a scenario screaming for fans to rally to his side, and we’ll have to see if that works out in his favor, but the puzzle pieces are all in place in a situation that harkens back to Cody’s improbable performance at Hell in a Cell last year against Seth Rollins.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.