Roman Reigns has a message to the WWE Universe: "Now"

Roman Reigns is on a collision course with Cody Rhodes for the second straight year in WWE. A fair share of the WWE Universe is on either side, with some believing The Tribal Chief's run ending in April sounds ridiculous, while others are convinced The American Nightmare will manage to pull off the unthinkable.

The two met face-to-face on SmackDown this past Friday night. A staredown ended the show, which also featured World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, and the rest of The Bloodline. Their clash is arguably the most anticipated sequel in years, and moreover, with the addition of The Rock, the sports entertainment giant has one of the best angles of the last decade on its hands.

On A&E Biography: WWE Legends ft. Roman Reigns, The Tribal Chief addressed the people who discredit his contributions despite him being instrumental in much of the company's success over the last three years. He does not care about being remembered when he retires as much as getting the flowers he deserves today:

"Respect my work, respect what I do for this business. Give me my flowers. Now. Not when I’m gone," he said.

After spending all these years putting away industry greats such as Brock Lesnar, Edge, John Cena, and Bryan Danielson, it remains to be seen if Roman Reigns will finally drop the Undisputed WWE Universal title in April. Cody Rhodes, on the other hand, is one of the biggest babyfaces in the business today.

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Has Cody Rhodes' "finish the story" gimmick in WWE run its course?

Since Cody Rhodes made a miraculous comeback to the Stamford-based promotion at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, he has been reinvigorated and a bonafide main event player. He proved it the following year by winning the Royal Rumble and challenging Roman Reigns for the latter's belt.

However, a year after failing to capture the title on The Grandest Stage, Dutch Mantell claimed on Smack Talk that the company stretched the angle for far too long. The storyline may have a lot of hype heading into WrestleMania XL, but Rhodes losing again will only continue it:

"I'll be so godd*mn glad when they finish this story. Please finish the F'n story. I got it. But I don't know. I was trying to pay attention to some of it, but then it got to the end. Takes them forever to get into it."

You can watch the entire episode below:

Taking the role of a locker room leader of sorts these days, an argument can be made that Cody Rhodes fits the role of the face of WWE. He promoted the company's live events by bringing up the unusual yet entertaining behaviors of the stars on the roster.