WATCH: An ‘Emotional’ Samantha Irvin struggles to announce Cody Rhodes as the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at WrestleMania XL

The versatile Raw announcer shed tears of joy while putting her voice behind Cody Rhodes.

WATCH: An ‘Emotional’ Samantha Irvin struggles to announce Cody Rhodes as the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at WrestleMania XL

Cody Rhodes and Samantha Irvin [via- Wrestle Features and WWE on X]

What Cody Rhodes did last night at WrestleMania made the fans weep in elation. He pinned Roman Reigns to end his 1316-day title reign following WWE’s version of the Avengers Endgame. The emotions at Lincoln Financial Field were at an all-time high. It so happened that ring announcer Samantha Irvin cracked up her voice while announcing Rhodes as the winner.

Irvin, the leading on-screen WWE announcer, has been immaculate with her oratory nuances. But one time she stuttered, that might just became the greatest on-air call she’s ever made. It just hit different. Cody Rhodes‘ ascend to the mountain top didn’t come that easy. He had to bite through an entire year to get to where he reached on WrestleMania Sunday. Last year, in Los Angeles, the world seemed like an end to him as he fell to a Bloodline-backed Roman Reigns.

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This time around, his cousin, The Rock, was there as well. At a time when the odds were prohibitively stacked against Cody, he received the backing of John Cena and The Undertaker. The Cenation Leader nullified Solo Sikoa‘s hegemony last night and The Phenom took care of The Final Boss. And then, all it took for Dusty’s baby boy to dethrone Reigns was a trifecta of Cross Rhodes.

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A moment came when Roman had Cody in doldrums. Instead of stacking him up, The Tribal Chief wasted motion to swing a chair shot on Seth Rollins‘ back, which was reminiscent of The Shield’s breakup. At the end of the day, the fact that Reigns couldn’t get over his past eventually led to his nadir. It was as poetic as anything could get.

Cody Rhodes received a special gift following historic win at WrestleMania XL

When Cody Rhodes showed up to the post-show press conference, he had a lustrous gold Rolex on his left wrist. The 37-year-old revealed that it was gifted to him by Bruce Prichard, Nick Khan, and Triple H as he walked through that curtain backstage.

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Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 post-show press conference [via- Wrestle Purists on X]

Why it’s even more special to Rhodes is because it’s the same Rolex his late father, Dusty Rhodes, pawned to put his son through acting school years ago. It will take some time to let it sink in.

Something that I wanted to share - I came to the back, and Bruce Prichard and Triple H and Nick Khan handed me this, which is the same watch that my dad had that he pawned so that I could go to acting school. So the level of investment and responsibility that the company just put in my hands, I hope I can pay it back, pay it forward a hundred times over.
Cody Rhodes said in the press conference.

But when The Undeniable One steps out in front of a sold-out crowd at the Wells Fargo Center tonight on Raw, it’s going to be something. As he had previously filed a trademark for, the Renaissance era begins now.

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