8 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Raw After WrestleMania 40 (8 April - Results & Review)

2. Cody Soaks It All In

WWE Raw Cody Rhodes Triple H
WWE

After spending two years chasing his dream and striving to finish the story, Cody Rhodes got to bask in everything Monday night, receiving his flowers from Triple H, the fans, and even The Rock.

After viewing a tremendous video package of his journey and having Samantha Irvin indulge him by re-announcing him, Cody waxed a bit about how he laid out his dream the night after WrestleMania 38 and that it became reality on Sunday night. The air was a bit thin in the arena because everyone was standing on the mountaintop, a cheesy but effective line.

Rhodes put over Roman Reigns, which was smart here, but one has to wonder if we see the Tribal Chief anytime soon in WWE, or if he makes a short appearance to introduce new Bloodline members to take up the fight in his absence. Cody continued by noting that his “why” is his daughter Liberty, that he fought so she knows what her dad does is meaningful, and that the lines he once stood in for a title shot now form for him.

It wasn’t his best promo, but it was effective given what was coming afterward with The Rock, and the acknowledgement from Triple H firmly established that Cody is intended to be The Guy going forward. This isn’t a “Cody got his WrestleMania Moment” and then take the title off him a couple of months later.

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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.