6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (Results & Review - 8 Jan)

2. A Conclusion

Cody Rhodes Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

Presumably the underwhelming Cody Rhodes/Shinsuke Nakamura feud finally came to an end Monday night when Rhodes won a lengthy plunder brawl.

Rhodes and Nakamura could have and maybe should have had a highly entertaining feud centered on Shinsuke wanting Cody’s spot and stature. But in execution, the feud felt minor league and more like the diversion it really was before the Royal Rumble really kicks off Cody’s road to WrestleMania 40.

The street fight itself was fine. Kendo sticks were wielded. Steel chairs were swung. Tables were broken. Both men hit their signature spot. Wrestling happened in front of fans’ eyes, and it was perfectly acceptable. But this feud isn’t going to land on anyone’s “best of” lists, unless it’s for excessive misting. And really, nearly 25 minutes to conclude this feud was a bit much.

Disappointed or not, the feud hopefully is over, as Cody said multiple times, it should be over by now. Hopefully, this will bear out for next week’s Raw with Cody’s detours finally fading away.

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Contributor
Contributor

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.