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Cody Rhodes won the 2023 Royal Rumble match and locked in his place in the main event of WrestleMania 39. With Roman Reigns holding the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, Rhodes had an easy decision to make and challenged the sole world champion of WWE to the match. Though fans believe that Rhodes will dethrone Reigns, that might not be the case.
Roman Reigns has held the WWE Universal Championship for over two years. It was originally believed that the company didn't want him to lose the World Championship for a potential match against The Rock at WrestleMania 39. However, that match is out of the picture for now.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has stated that Cody Rhodes was not the first choice to face Reigns at WrestleMania this year. He wasn't even the second choice, as the company wanted Reigns to face The Rock or Steve Austin, but both turned the match down. This indicates that WWE isn't 'married' to the idea of Rhodes becoming WWE Champion:
''The fact WWE wanted Dwayne Johnson in the spot, and even contacted Steve Austin for the spot, tells you they weren’t married to the idea of Rhodes having to headline the show or win the title, at least from Reigns.''
WWE was not planning a WrestleMania moment for Cody Rhodes
Dave Meltzer also noted that the whole story revolving around Cody Rhodes' return was for him to eventually win the WWE Championship; something his father, Dusty Rhodes, could never do. However, it wasn't specifically planned to be a WrestleMania moment.
''Plus, the entire storyline that brought Rhodes to WWE did almost have to result in him winning the title his father never could win. But that didn’t have to take place at Mania, just had to take place at some time,'' stated Meltzer.
Cody Rhodes is riding high on momentum and would be the perfect man to dethrone Roman Reigns. Many fans felt WWE missed a major opportunity last year when Drew McIntyre did not win the Championship in his match against Reigns at Clash at the Castle. So it will be interesting to see how the promotion handles the situation this time around.
