Reason behind why Cody Rhodes didn’t win the title at WrestleMania 39 finally revealed

Cody Rhodes finally defeated Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL and became the Undisputed WWE Champion. However, according to reports, his story could’ve finished way sooner. Vince McMahon made the final call on The American Nightmare, losing at the Show of Shows. 

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it was originally planned for Cody Rhodes to win at WrestleMania 39. However, after a lot of arguments and discussions, it was decided that he would not go over at the Show of Shows. Apparently, Triple H was on board with the decision too, and ultimately, the original plans were overruled.

Another angle to look at it was to make Jey Uso a credible main event player while Roman Reigns was still a champion. The decision was made with the feeling that his win would mean a lot at WrestleMania XL. Their vision eventually turned out to be correct, as Jey has become one of the most loved superstars in WWE. Meanwhile, Rhodes’ loss at WrestleMania 39 did contribute to the record-setting nature of this year’s WrestleMania.

After a year full of challenges, The American Nightmare finally defeated Reigns in perhaps one of the greatest WrestleMania main events of all time. Now, after finishing his story, he has already started to focus on the next chapter. He will battle AJ Styles in a singles match for the Undisputed WWE Title at Backlash in Lyon, France. It will be interesting to see whether Rhodes retains the title or Styles becomes the new champion.

Cody Rhodes spoke highly of Roman Reigns and his title reign in an interview

Even though the rivalry between the two fighters was heated, Rhodes still showed respected for Roman Reigns. He stated how The Tribal Chief’s title reign literally changed the industry for the better.

While speaking on the Sports Illustrated podcast, The American Nightmare had nothing but good things to say about his opponent’s historic title reign. He called it generational and truly believed it had changed the course of the wrestling industry. Needless to say, The Tribal Cheif’s title run affected many fellow superstars’ careers. 

He knew his run had been generational and that he had changed the industry, which very few people can say they changed the industry. I think he knew he could walk out of the ballpark knowing the ball was still sailing and WWE is going to be just fine, if not better, and we await the return of Roman Reigns.

Cody Rhodes on Roman Reigns via Sports Illustrated podcast

Reigns beat many top names in his 31 title defenses, spanning over 1316 days. He became the only superstar to be in the main event of nine WrestleMania’s. The Tribal Chief also became the only superstar to defend a single championship on four different occasions at the Show of Shows. The wrestling fans might never witness another title reign like this ever again. 

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