What If... Cody Rhodes NEVER Finishes His Story In WWE

Many people - your writer included - honestly couldn't imagine how Cody Rhodes was ever going to recover from that soul-crushing Night Two 'L' at WrestleMania 39.

The equally depressing beatdown at the hands of Brock Lesnar 24-hours later only added to the feeling of this 'American Nightmare's time coming and going, too.

But Cody isn't your average worker.

The beaten Monday Night Warrior continued inspiring his universe. 'The Beast' was ultimately slain. The real locker room leader led his wrestling Avengers to a thrilling victory against The Judgment Day. Further unanticipated magic was even created opposite the likes of CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, and his ol' rival-turned-pal Seth Rollins.

Put simply, Rhodes didn't just survive the failure, he bafflingly thrived in the aftermath.

However, lightning very rarely strikes twice, even in this chaotic and unpredictable business, and it's hard to imagine even Cody being able to pull off this miracle again should his story go unfinished.

If WWE do stupidly force the full-time hero out of 'Mania empty-handed once again then, where does he go from here?

Or more importantly, where can Cody go from here?