Why Triple H's Biggest WWE Blunder Is Hidden In Plain Sight
'The American Nightmare' is the most influential North American wrestler of the 2020s, and it speaks to just how much he's achieved that this isn't really up for debate despite the decade not yet reaching the halfway mark. So much so that, when trying to see into his near future, it's more prudent to look at his last few years rather than the last men and women to occupy similar spots.
Even discounting AEW's 2019 launch and everything at the back end of the 2010s that had to happen to reach that point, Rhodes' 2020 in particular was a masterclass in measuring how to be a great talent with one foot in the office. Assuming a spot his legendary Father often struggled with, Cody was a man who won more than he lost, scored two title victories and still left the losers' careers in substantially better shape than he found them. Eddie Kingston and Ricky Starks wrestled him in TNT Title open challenges that opened the door for full-time AEW deals, Sonny Kiss, Lance Archer and others had some of their best matches opposite The Roller-Codester, and the entire run was paid off when he put over the man that seemingly never stood a chance of beating him in Darby Allin.
With those mission accomplished but no World Title to fight following 2019's gripping Chris Jericho feud, Rhodes AEW run went off the rails somewhat, but the chaos always seemed destined to exist as a bug and a feature (delete as appropriate) of the product rather than becoming a thing that needed to disappear. Rhodes openly speculated on his future after losing what transpired as his final Dynamite match, but almost everybody assumed he was kicking off his next angle at best bringing his shoot contract negotiations into a worked world at worst. He was in fact just telling the truth and proceeded to take the biggest gamble of his career yet. In a bold grasp for the entire industry's top spot, he willfully put his career back in the hands of Vince McMahon.
Reckless confidence? Good vision to know the way the wind was blowing? Dumb luck? Either way, an ostensibly risky choice was suddenly life-changing for all the right reasons. Cody tore his tit off just before Hell In A Cell 2022, worked an incredible match with it, then took a summer off to recover and returned to a WWE in January 2023 that was different to a generational degree. More hard work was required after he was booked to lose to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, but Rhodes isn't a stranger to that. It's not just a catchphrase. It never is with Cody.
It wasn't when, defiantly, he continued to promise to Finish His Story despite The Rock of all people returning and almost scuppering the entire thing. 'The Great One' couldn't derail Cody's run in 2024, but he'll get his way in 2025. That's a Then problem, but it's becoming a Now one too.
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