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Roman Reigns is set to take on Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 39. He will be putting his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on the line, making it one of the biggest 'Mania matches in recent memory. It could also be one of the most crucial title defenses of his career.
Having held the world championship for a staggering 900+ days, Reigns', um, reign has been in God Mode. However, with the fall of The Bloodline, there seems to be a couple of chinks in his armor. As such, Rhodes has the perfect opportunity to put him down and etch his name into the history books.
While the WWE Universe is wholeheartedly backing The American Nightmare to dethrone The Tribal Chief, the decision is ultimately WWE's to make. As is the case with any choice, there are merits to either route. Exploring the world of the champion retaining at 'Mania and then getting through the feud with his reign intact is something no one wants to do.
However, curiosity has killed the cat in us. As such, we look at four reasons why Roman Reigns should never lose to Cody Rhodes.
#4 On our list of reasons why Roman Reigns should never lose to Cody Rhodes: Rhodes has entered the world title scene too soon
Cody Rhodes' return to WWE and feud with Seth 'Freakin' Rollins was phenomenal. Following the conclusion of the rivalry and his subsequent injury, Rhodes won the Men's Royal Rumble Match and is set to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 for the Undisputed WWE Universe Championship.
Since returning to the company, Rhodes has wrestled the likes of Kevin Owens, The Miz, Baron Corbin, and other prominent names. However, his quest to honor his father and win the world championship didn't have to be hot-shotted so soon.
WWE could have had The American Nightmare feud with one or two more top names before putting him in the main event. Racking up wins and staying undefeated would have been more of an organic rise than whatever is happening now. Hence, Reigns should win their feud and put him in a position he has never been in. And on that note...
#3 Cody Rhodes' quest would be more interesting if he lost and then pursued the title
WWE has done a great job presenting the Cody Rhodes character ahead of his feud with Roman Reigns. He is a top babyface with compelling motivation to reach the summit of pro wrestling. Imagine the same man if he ended up failing.
Should he lose to Roman Reigns, Rhodes would be way more layered and teetering on the face-heel fence. While he is far from a cookie-cutter babyface at the moment, a loss would add way more spark to his gimmick. That, coupled with Reigns' insane ability to leave his defeated opponents in mental shambles, means WWE can and probably should entertain the idea of that option.
#2 WWE should wait for the next lightning-in-the-bottle babyface
Hindsight is 20/20, and perhaps Cody Rhodes defeating Roman Reigns will be the Daniel-Bryan-at-WrestleMania XXX moment of this decade. However, we can't help but feel it wouldn't have been as good as Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn dethroning him. These were two separate challengers who the WWE Universe was sure would win, but the company failed to pull the trigger on both occasions.
Consider the pop McIntyre would have received for getting the three-count in Cardiff or the one Zayn would have been showered with after scoring the greatest pinfall of his career in Montreal. Rhodes, however good he is, may not reach those now-hypothetical levels.
The American Nightmare deserves to be world champion one day, but it need not come at Reigns' expense. Triple H's booking has resulted in lightning striking twice with The Scottish Warrior and the former Honorary Uce. Who's to say it can't happen a third time for The Head of the Table to finally be knocked off?
#1 Jey Uso deserves to be the one to end Roman Reigns' triumphant run
Roman Reigns' run as the Tribal Chief began when he manipulated and gaslighted Jey Uso to acknowledge him. His reign of terror would never have reached its dizzying heights were it not for his cousin.
Currently, Jey's deflection from The Bloodline is the reason Reigns looks a bit weaker as champion. More than two years of mental manipulation took its toll on the former Right Hand Man, who walked out on his Tribal Chief at the Royal Rumble premium live event. With all due respect to Cody Rhodes, if anyone on the WWE roster deserves to hand The Head of the Table his much-deserved comeuppance, it's Jey.
Rhodes' time will come, and we can go as far as to say that it can come when he dethrones Main Event Jey Uso. However, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion should prevail over Dusty Rhodes' baby boy because WWE owes Jey the perfect full-circle moment in modern wrestling history.
