5 Reasons why Cody Rhodes needs to finish his story with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40

Cody Rhodes versus Roman Reigns was the highly-anticipated WrestleMania 40 headline until The Rock inserted himself into the picture. The Great One teased a match with the Tribal Chief during a surprise appearance on RAW: Day 1.

Rocky’s promo has sent social media into a frenzy. The internet had a field day with new gifs and memes featuring The American Nightmare and The People’s Champion. Some fans think The Rock’s inclusion will only take away Rhodes’ opportunity to challenge (and possibly) dethrone Reigns for the top title.

That’s speculation at best until WWE confirms Rock vs. Reigns for the Undisputed Title at WrestleMania 40. Hypothetically speaking, the feud doesn’t need a title for relevance. It is already the biggest match in this industry and hasn’t even been confirmed.

Rhodes vs. Reigns II, on the other hand, has to be for the title, with WrestleMania XL as the stage. Let’s find out why:

#5. Cody Rhodes’ story revolves around the title

Cody Rhodes has, somehow, turned the story into a buzzword in the pro wrestling story.

Everybody is now talking about wanting to start or finish their story. Even CM Punk referenced The American Nightmare’s promo after his in-ring comeback against Dominik Mysterio.

Fans may have noticed that the one thing common to this story is the WWE title. As Triple H said years ago, the title is the most essential thing in the business. For the American Nightmare, it’s the title that’s alluded his family for so long.

That brings us to…

#4. Dusty Rhodes’ history with the WWE Championship

For many fans and pro wrestlers, Dusty Rhodes is on the Mt. Rushmore of pro wrestling. The American Dream was a great worker with a brilliant mind for the industry.

Hall of Famers like Sting and Ric Flair owe their big-time success to the late, great Hall of Famer.

The elder Rhodes famously spent the late 70s chasing after the WWE Championship but never managed to win it.

The frustration, anger, and sadness of not winning the title moved to the second generation of the Rhodes family and will stay until Cody wins the big prize.

However, he isn’t the only winner with eyes on Roman Reigns.

#3. Enter CM Punk

CM Punk was gone from WWE for 10 years. The company went through a lot of changes during the decade. The Shield disbanded, and all three members ended up being world champions.

Punk returned to WWE and made his intentions crystal clear: it'll be either Seth Rollins or Roman Reigns.

The Straight Edge Superstar threatens Rhodes’ bid for championship opportunity more than The Rock. The People’s Champion wants to sit at the Head of the Table.

The Straight Edge Superstar wants to take the title. It’s not hard to see why Cody Rhodes has declared for the Royal Rumble.

#2. Roman Reigns’ SmackDown promo

Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes came face-to-face on the March 3 episode of SmackDown. Both went back and forth on the mic until the Tribal Chief brought the American Nightmare’s family into the feud.

Reigns did a fantastic Dusty impression before telling Rhodes:

“What Dusty didn’t teach you, I will.”

You could see Rhodes’ expression change as soon as he heard these words. That wasn’t the only bitter reality Reigns taught Rhodes during their feud.

#1. The humiliating defeat at WrestleMania 39

Fans had high expectations from Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39. The American Nightmare had the WWE Universe convinced he’d be the one to topple the Tribal Chief on the Grandest Stage of Them All. Then, the unthinkable happened.

Reigns retained his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 39. The crowd was stunned to witness such a shocking conclusion. Cody Rhodes needs to rectify the biggest loss of his career by pinning the man who proved him wrong in front of family, friends, and fans.