Former writer expects Cody Rhodes' WWE career to go downhill after WrestleMania return (Exclusive)

Vince Russo thinks Cody Rhodes will become just another name on the WWE roster within four weeks of his return to the company.

Rhodes defeated Seth Rollins in his return match on the first night of WrestleMania 38. Two days later, the former AEW Executive Vice President declared in an emotional RAW promo that he plans to win a WWE World Championship.

Russo, WWE’s former head writer, spoke to Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Dr. Chris Featherstone about Rhodes’ return. He joked that modern-day wrestling often revolves around debuting superstars receiving loud cheers, and he does not expect those reactions to last for long:

“Four weeks, he’ll be another name on the roster.” Russo continued, “You explain to me what is it about this initial pop, and you know what the sad thing is, Chris, everything goes downhill from the initial pop. Everything! Everything goes downhill from that.” [4:04-4:25]

Watch the video above to hear more of Vince Russo’s thoughts on Cody Rhodes’ WWE comeback and possible trajectory moving forward. He also gave his honest opinion on Keith Lee’s booking in AEW.

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Why Vince Russo thinks Cody Rhodes' crowd reactions will not last

Many wrestlers receive hugely positive reactions upon their return or debut for a new company, both in AEW and WWE.

Vince Russo thinks fans’ reactions to those appearances can sometimes set wrestlers up for failure further down the line:

“We are in the era of the pop. They get all excited over a pop. I promise you, Chris, one month from now, Cody will be another name on the roster. It’s that pop. Meanwhile, they’re reading about it, they know it’s gonna happen, it’s in the books, and when it happens you pop like it’s the coming of our lord and savior. It’s unbelievable.” [3:27-4:02]

Rhodes is due to face The Miz on the next episode of RAW. It will be his first televised match on the show since he participated in a Battle Royal in May 2016.

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