Alright, enough time passed. I can't see myself writing or covering anything related to the Federation for many reasons actually. It's a miracle I'm writing this because this match and this rivalry have caught my eye for a long time now, not because of the reasons all of you think. I've been really honest with how I see Cody Rhodes in all of this, and I've been vocal about him being the "third best Rhodes". I didn't want to write this in Wrestlemania season because I would have come out like the one that ruins the fun, or the party pooper. The thing about this match is that I didn't care about it because of the story or because of the "cinema", I cared about this match because of my friends.
Not so long ago I had a conversation with a friend of mine and we were talking about WWE and how is it that people continue watching it considering the allegations, the lawsuit, and every single thing hidden behind this megalomaniac monster that rules pro-wrestling in its entirety. This friend told me something that got in my head and it was that:
"The Vince McMahon allegations don't have anything to do with the #WeWantCody movement."
With that in mind, I decided to give this rivalry a second shot, mainly because I was taken aback by the fact that this could be a way to make people forget about the lawsuit, but I decided to shut up and tune in. Not because of these guys, but because of the fact that I was seeing a lot of people happy with wrestling, and I guess that made me realize that maybe this thing was better than I thought.
I found myself hyped for this, and to show it I decided to compare Cody to one of my favorite heroes in media, this being Simon the Digger. I thought their stories were similar, to say the least. That helped me understand Cody and his goal. What he stood for, and how many people were there to support him, even if they were not going to be credited for doing so (The Elite)
I saw the whole event with some friends I made a while ago and it was a great experience mainly because of that. I realized watching wrestling alone is something that changes your perception of it so much that it helps you understand why whatever you're watching could be good. And this match I think is the perfect example of what I'm saying because I don't believe I liked this match because of what it offered. I liked it because of what it made my friends feel. Pro wrestling is about emotions, right? You don't get that far without making people at least somewhat interested in your journey, and while Cody is not the perfect babyface by any means, there's a thing about his story that just resonates with people, despite him being the guy with the suit and the corporative smirk. This idea of Cody as the hero could be something that some believe, but it's also something that many reject for obvious reasons. I mean, when you paint a babyface you don't necessarily think of someone like Cody Rhodes. The Homelander-esque attire doesn't help either.
The thing about this match is that it's like a sickness. It's contagious, it's a match that can't be watched alone. It's a match that lives in the moment.
Does this mean this match is good?
Fuck no. I think this match is not meant to be good technically, is meant to be the most crisp example of an Attitude Era main event in modern wrestling, because the match itself is meant to be a clusterfuck. I don't want to fall into comparisons of such, but this match shares the same premise behind something like Rock vs. Mankind: You don't want to watch this match because of technical prowess, or psychology. You want to watch this match to see a guy win, by any means. Of course, you can't compare both main events because one of them has a babyface that looks and feels like a babyface, but you get the idea.
The thing about this match is that I'm conscious of the fact that if I see this alone I would not like it, because I don't feel the same kind of connection with all of these guys appearing as others do. Like, if I watched this match alone I would not pop for known cops supporter Mark Calaway. Come on guys.
But I'm here to talk about one of my main issues with this match and Wrestlemania as a whole. From the beginning to the end this match is a masturbatory tribute to Triple H. The match that is meant to "finish the story" turns into the most blatant and obvious Hunter Hearst Helmsley-esque spectacle because this motherfucker knows he can do whatever the hell he wants now and people would like it because he's the booker and he made The Bloodline or whatever the fuck.
This match could hit harder, it really could, but I think the premise falls apart. Cody finishes the story, and he gets to change the world by making The Elite the first faction to have won the IWGP Title, the AEW Title and the WWE Title. But this is a WWE main event. We're talking about a company that loves its revisionism as much as it loves its Saudi money. In no scenario could The Elite actually be credited for making Cody a star, in fact, people now believe Cody was the star of The Elite when is not hard to go back to 2018 and compare the pops between Cody and Kenny Omega in the G1 Special.
The thing I hate about this match is how it wants to rewrite history and paint Cody as THE babyface, ignoring the real story behind it all. Because when I said The Elite was responsible for all of this, people rejected what I was saying and decided to believe "this match was not about The Elite". It was about the history of WWE, the company that is found to have various allegations and charges against them. Some of those charges relate to BRUCE PRICHARD, the guy who takes the spotlight in the Main Event because in the heat of Cody's celebration, and in the moment where he could thank his peers, his mother, or maybe his father (due to the fact this story is built around Dusty) the first thing he does is thank the office, and thank Bruce Prichard.