Why WWE Will Save Cody Rhodes From Burial

6. A Story Left Unfinished

WWE WrestleMania 39 Cody Rhodes
WWE.com

The very first time Cody Rhodes cut a promo after his WWE return last year, he made it abundantly clear that he was focussed on winning the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

While Dusty Rhodes had plentiful championship success over the decades, the American Dream was never able to capture WWE's top prize. Dustin Rhodes, aka Goldust, is a three-time Intercontinental Champion, but he likewise was never able to win 'the big one' during his several stints with the market leader. As such, Cody was on a mission to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Title for his family name, and more specifically for Dusty.

The American Nightmare's mission may have been derailed due to a torn pec, but Rhodes returned at this year's Royal Rumble, won the titular men's bout, and cemented himself a spot against Roman Reigns for the greatest prize in the industry.

With the Tribal Chief on a truly generational, all-timer of a run that has seen him topple any and all challengers - such as Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Riddle, Goldberg, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, Edge, Rey Mysterio, and Jey Uso - it seemed that Cody Rhodes would "finish the story" by being the one to finally topple the Head of the Table at WrestleMania 39.

To the surprise of many, WWE opted to have Reigns retain against Rhodes at 'Mania 39.

But what about Cody's story? Why wouldn't WWE pull the trigger on his World Title win? Why wouldn't they cement Cody as a major player? Why would they not capitalise on Cody's huge momentum and groundswell of support? And worryingly... does this mean Cody Rhodes is the next Lex Luger?

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.