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Roman Reigns successfully defended his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania, an outcome that shocked the WWE Universe, but Hall of Famer Booker T recently defended the company's decision.
Cody Rhodes returned to WWE at Royal Rumble after recovering from a torn pectoral injury. Rhodes punched his WrestleMania ticket by winning the Rumble match.
Despite being booked for months as the potential to dethrone The Tribal Chief, The American Nightmare came up short after The Bloodline's Solo Sikoa cost the latter his most important match to date.
Speaking on his The Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T stated that it's hard to book a babyface champion and that Rhodes coming out of the main event of WrestleMania 39 without the straps was the right call.
"These fans today, they would turn on you in a heartbeat," Booker T said. "So you can definitely not write the card thinking about what fans emotions are feeling at that moment in time. For me, when Cody comes out, if I'm a fan, I'm going to cheer for him. I'm going to cheer even more for him, because man, I think you got screwed." [From 1:20:24 to 1:20:48]
While Booker T's analogy of Cody losing to Reigns and the Hall of Famer losing to Triple H at WrestleMania 19 back in 2003 made sense to a large extent, Mick Foley believed it was the right time for a new champion to be crowned. The WWE legend had an analogy of his own.
Cody Rhodes teases update on his future in WWE following a devastating loss at WrestleMania 39
Cody Rhodes took to his Instagram to lament WrestleMania 39 loss and further touched on where his mind is regarding the future of WWE. The American Nightmare stated that he enjoyed the ride until his loss to The Tribal Chief and Brock Lesnar's brutal assault on RAW after 'Mania.
"A long week," wrote Rhodes. "I know last Sunday was not the result I'd hoped for, and I know many fans were disappointed as well. I make no excuses. I lost. I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you how much I enjoyed the ride...until Sunday night, and furthermore Monday night."
After thanking several names, including his wife, Brandi Rhodes, Triple H, the McMahon family, and John Cena, among others, Cody Rhodes concluded:
"Lastly, the almost 200k fans who attended the weekend overall…unwavering and motivating. I want to be your champion. This Monday I hope to speak about my future with WWE and what may be next for me."
You can check out the Instagram post below:
On the latest episode of SmackDown, Stu Bennett (fka Wade Barrett) speculated as to why Brock Lesnar turned on Cody Rhodes. According to the commentator, it's because The Beast's match opened WrestleMania 39 Night Two, while Cody's bout closed out as the main event of the show.
While this is a very silly explanation for the massive heel turn, which had been planned at least a month ahead of WrestleMania 39, perhaps we may get a definitive answer in the coming weeks from Brock Lesnar himself. Until then, one can only speculate.
Regardless, Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes should be a remarkable affair and a blockbuster main event for WWE Backlash if that is the direction the company is heading.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the Hall of Fame podcast, and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
