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Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes was a spectacle for the ages, but the ending to WrestleMania 39 Night Two draws conflicting opinions to this day. The Tribal Chief retained his world titles, following a controversial finish. Towards the end of the match, Solo Sikoa hit Rhodes with a Samoan Spike while the referee was distracted.
During the post-match conference, WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H defended the ending by claiming that the "story never ends." Some fans and critics repeated his words and believed The American Nightmare's loss to be beneficial for long-term storytelling. Others criticized the booking as it broke the momentum of this year's Men's Royal Rumble winner altogether.
The WWE Universe was taken by a storm when Roman Reigns defeated Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39. Despite the ongoing criticisms relating to the latter's loss, several experienced campaigners defended the idea of The Tribal Chief's victory. Among these legends were Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kevin Nash and Konnan.
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Terming the 'Mania bout to be magnificent, Austin was content with the story being displayed on screen for over 30 minutes. He "wouldn't have changed a thing" as the time wasn't right for Cody to take center stage. However, The Texas Rattlesnake does believe he will succeed in capturing the titles soon.
Kevin Nash got a different take. Rather than mentioning the storyline, he believed it was necessary for Roman Reigns to get to the 1000-day mark as Universal Champion due to his contributions to WWE.
WCW veteran Konnan went into detail about the whole topic. He believes Brock Lesnar's introduction to the storyline is vital for the development of Cody Rhodes' redemption journey. Konnan mentioned that The American Nightmare needs to overcome Reigns' toughest challenger so that he can potentially get a rematch.
Ric Flair was among the few legends who believed Cody Rhodes' victory over Roman Reigns made more sense
16-time world champion Ric Flair sided with The American Nightmare before his battle against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.
According to The Nature Boy, Cody Rhodes fulfilling his father's dream would have made for a more compelling story. He also mentioned that the top babyface had huge momentum backing him after his victory over Solo Sikoa. Flair made the opinion during an episode of "To Be The Man" podcast.
"I think Cody deserves it [...] Sometimes you don’t want to take the momentum off of something that is working so well. People could be deceived by that too. I want to see (Cody win) because that’s the one chip as Cody would say that his dad never got. I would like to see him have it one time.” (H/T WrestlingNews)
The American Nightmare will lock horns with Brock Lesnar at WWE Backlash after the latter's unprovoked attack on Cody during the RAW after WrestleMania. The first-time ever match is expected to be the main event of the Premium Live Event on May 6.
