"Best it's been since Attitude Era," "Doesn't make sense" - Fans divided after Daniel Cormier questions WWE making Cody Rhodes new champion

The main event of WrestleMania 40 (WrestleMania XL) witnessed Cody Rhodes dethroning Roman Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier offered his take on Night 1 and Night 2 (April 6 and April 7, 2024) of WrestleMania 40, with some fans agreeing with his assessment whereas others didn't.

On Night 2, Drew McIntyre beat Seth 'Freakin' Rollins to win the World Heavyweight Championship. However, Damian Priest cashed in his 'Money in the Bank' contract and easily beat an exhausted McIntyre to win the title.

Additionally, in the final match of Night 2 and WrestleMania 40 overall, Cody Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

'DC' suggested that he loved the WWE's creative decisions of Priest's cash-in and Rhodes' completing his story. However, he indicated that, unlike Reigns, Rhodes works a full-time schedule. The longtime WWE fan predicted that the fans would eventually lose interest in Rhodes' character and storylines. Cormier tweeted:

"Reaction: Great cash in by Damian Priest! Loved it. Loved Cody finishing story! Business wise is it the right move? Does it help to have a champion that is available always, seems to make them almost normal then fans turn on them!"

A few fans begged to differ with Cormier, with one netizen asserting that the current WWE product is better than the WWE's legendary 'Attitude Era' (Nov. 1997-May 2002). Praising WWE's CCO (Chief Content Officer) and Head of Creative, Paul Levesque, the fan tweeted:

"Part of the bloodline story telling, HHH writing and scripting this for a long time to come! Best it's been since attitude era"

Meanwhile, another X user concurred with 'DC.' Insinuating that Cody Rhodes doesn't possess the ability to cut good promos and that the WWE Universe would soon lose interest in his current on-screen persona, the fan opined that even the WWE views Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Roman Reigns as bigger names than Rhodes:

"Doesn't make sense. Cody isn't good at promos, fans will tune out quickly. REMEMBER - it was supposed to be Rock vs Roman so clearly the company doesn't believe in him either"

Check out the screenshots of a few reactions below:

Screenshots of reactions

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Cody Rhodes to be face of WWE brand, as Roman Reigns seemingly takes hiatus

Many believe that 'The American Nightmare' being crowned as the new champion marks a huge change in the WWE landscape, as Roman Reigns' 1,316-day reign as the champion and the top-tier star of the WWE brand came to an end. The consensus is that Reigns aka 'The Tribal Chief' will take a break from in-ring competition.

Moreover, Cody Rhodes is expected to be booked as the face of the WWE brand in its upcoming post-WrestleMania 40 storylines. Professional wrestling connoisseurs have seemingly opined that the WWE and Rhodes could face several creative challenges in the ensuing months, as he's tasked with replacing one of the biggest stars in history, Roman Reigns.