The Post’s Joseph Staszewski explores the world of professional wrestling every Tuesday in his column “Post Match Angle.”.
Cody Rhodes has spent some time becoming the uncrowned People’s Champion, but all signs point to it finally ending this week.
That’s when the youngest son of “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes is expected to end his story of winning the WWE Championship that his father never held.
To do that, he must defeat undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 40 Night 2 on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
In doing so, he would not only end Reigns’ 1,300-plus day World Championship reign, but potentially also end his time as WWE’s Tribal Chief.
If that happens, that moment will belong to Rose because of the great connection he has built with wrestling fans.
Due to fans vocally expressing their love for the 38-year-old Rose, WWE has never seen anything like it from the first People’s Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson facing Reigns at WrestleMania. He was forced to change direction to become a babyface star.
Hulk Hogan was a larger-than-life hero, a physical specimen with a 24-inch python, and fans could only dream (with the help of different types of vitamins) of wanting to look like him. .
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin was the beer-drinking bad guy that every red-blooded man wanted to be. But in the real world, you can’t get mad at his boss, lash out, assault him, keep your job and not go to jail.
John Cena described his idyllic character as “Superman.” He could certainly live by the virtues of loyalty and respect for Hustle, but Cena’s character was so perfect that he resembled a Marvel or DC character more than a normal human being.
Rose, who simply plays himself on TV rather than a character, has established a much different dynamic since his departure from WWE in 2016.
He became one of the people. He became a representative and spokesperson for fans in the world of professional wrestling. Showing her next-level appreciation for her fans makes Rose feel like someone you can easily approach and see spending weekends with.
Both when Rose was appearing on smaller independent shows and to this day at WWE events, he would spend as much time as necessary interacting with as many fans as possible after the show.
Even as he began competing in Ring of Honor as a flashy heel, appearances on “Being The Elite” with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at Rhodes as his wife Brandi. I was able to catch a glimpse of her and she looked adorable. Pinkerton the Dog, Pharaoh, and Yeti. Rose is also the father of a two-year-old daughter, Liberty.
I still remember that episode of BTE where Rose and The Elite brought out a box of donuts for the fans at an autograph session.
Who would do that?
Cody Rhodes does.
That’s why fans feel they can ask Rose to be a chaperone at their wedding or do a gender reveal in the ring after a show. That’s why young fans ask him to come to their birthday parties or join him for his entrances during house shows. The difference from most other people is that Rose says yes to all of these things and does her best to make it work. He’s paying his KIPP AMP middle school wrestling club in Brooklyn to attend WrestleMania 40.
Who would do that?
Cody Rhodes does.
When fans were fed up with what WWE had to offer and wanted a true alternative, Rose was at the forefront of that with Ring of Honor’s Bullet Club and New Japan, and in 2017, BTE’s DX. He also invaded Raw.
Taking Dave Meltzer’s tweet as a challenge, they packed 10,000 people to the first All-In in 2018, turning it into AEW and making history with the first show funded by a wrestler. It was Rose who defeated the likes of Triple H at AEW Double or Nothing and hinted that this was going to be something new.
Who would do that?
Cody Rhodes does.
Throughout, Rose’s mantra is “do the work.” And therein lies his power. Because he is someone who has proven in real life that busting his ass can lead to making his dreams come true, as he got the opportunity he was looking for in WWE and knocked it out.
At 6-foot-1 and weighing 220 pounds, Rose looks like a normal person and it’s easy for fans to believe or emulate what he’s trying to accomplish in life.
Dress to impress, work with everything you have, be a loving father and husband, and don’t be afraid to go above and beyond for others. Even if it means wrestling with a torn pectoral muscle.
That’s why fans want to see Rhodes (who, like all of us, is not perfect) finish his story, because hard work, patience, and kindness need to be rewarded, especially after losing last year. And that’s why you need to see it. They should allow you to realize your dreams.
Rhodes has become one of the people. He has been representing them in the wrestling world for the past eight years.
If Rhodes wins on Sunday as expected, Peoples will finally be crowned champion.
ten count
We here at “The Post Match Angle” floated the idea of Chad Gable training Sami Zayn for his WrestleMania match against Gunther on March 19th, and we had a great story and video on this week’s Raw. It became a package. However, being dethroned as Ring General and Intercontinental Champion may not be another thing after all.
On Monday, CM Punk reignited the flames of AEW with a fiery interview with Ariel Heilwani, further igniting already widespread beliefs among AEW’s critics about Elite, Tony Khan’s leadership, and business model. All I had to do was add . Punks have every right to finally want to tell the world their side of the story after so long. And it will be interesting to see if Khan feels the need to respond.
As someone who respects Becky Lynch all over the world, I think she should watch Ronda Rousey’s Ring of Honor match and clash with Charlotte Flair and then tell me she can’t wrestle. Was Rousey an elite performer? no. But I’m always curious if it was her idea or WWE’s to stick with the MMA style that held Rousey back. Because it’s hard to imagine Rousey not wanting to put in the effort to get better.
It’s a perfect placement to insert Jade Cargill into perhaps the best female storyline in Damage CTL against the top female faction. It keeps making her feel like a big deal. She will be working with five absolute pros at WrestleMania. She won’t be asked too much right away, allowing her to lay the first brick of her rivalry with Bianca Belair. Her visual of three black women, Cargill, Belair, and Naomi, pointing at a WrestleMania sign was very powerful.
WWE is looking to capitalize on the simple story of Candice LeRae while mocking Maxine Dupree to add new layers and emotion to three previously minor talents.
LeRae is the hated heel, her partner Indi Hartwell is the heroic babyface who ultimately stands up to her, and Dupree is the sympathetic babyface.
AJ Francis could potentially sign with TNA in 2024, but he had his first big moment post-WWE by defeating former world champion Alex Kane at MLW’s War Chamber show and taking control of the Bomaye faction. It also gives Kane a compelling fight for post-championship redemption.
Willow Nightingale is set to face Julia Hart for the TBS Championship on Dynasty, while Mercedes Mone still doesn’t have a first opponent. AEW has several options. Look for Britt Baker or Jamie Hayter to return in the next few weeks and challenge Morne to Dynamite or Dynamite when they return on pay-per-view. Serena Deeb answers the challenge from Morne and is able to start a quality match before finally facing Nightingale.
Hook’s journey to become world champion is underway and begins with him being mentored by Chris Jericho after AEW’s inaugural world champion offers to mentor him. The FTW Champion was quick to accuse Jericho of his past of betrayal, but I don’t see why he would have any reason to do so unless Jericho turns on the hook like, say, Sammy Guevara. It will be interesting to see what kind of change Jericho’s presence brings to Hook in the ring, or if it forces him to cheat in order to win. Still, this is a big deal because Hook is finally challenging for the big belt.
Matt Cardona answering Adam Copeland’s TNT open challenge brought back fond memories of Cody Rhodes’ open challenge streak, and their match was great and full of late-game drama. Let’s hope that trend continues before we get an interesting storyline with Malachi Black.
The story of Ruby Soho, Angelo Parker, and Saraya has quietly become the best thing to watch on AEW Rampage each week. The story progresses steadily, with some twists and turns.
What if somehow Dominic Mysterio continues to lead his own faction against Judgment Day and Rhea Ripley? Surely he has a lot of new friends these days.
Extra: A&E’s documentary ‘Roman Reigns’ is a great look at the man whose run may end on Sunday, and the man behind him, what drove him and shaped him into the person he is today. . Bray Wyatt’s doc on Peacock is a beautiful, sad, and uplifting look at the Wyndham Rotunda as you’ve never seen it before.
Extra, extra: I got my hands on John Finkel’s new Macho Man biography, Macho Man: The Savage and Incredible Life of Randy Savage, on sale today. I’ll report back when it’s over, but so far I’m enjoying the stories people close to him have heard about his passion for baseball growing up.
This week’s social media posts
Wrestler of the week
Swerve Strickland, AEW
After a great match and victory over Konosuke Takeshita in the main event of Dynamite, Strickland is set for a one-on-one match against Samoa Joe on Dynasty to achieve his goal of becoming the first black AEW World Champion The path has become clear.
match to watch
Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins vs. The Rock & Roman Reigns, WrestleMania Night (Saturday, 8 p.m., Peacock)
Yes, Rhodes may end Roman Reigns’ incredible championship run and end his story on Sunday, but his feud with The Rock is much better. Also, this will be Rock’s first real match since defeating John Cena at WrestleMania 29 in 2013, but what will he look like? Will he stage Reigns and pin Rose to set up another match in the future? Will new Bloodline members appear? There are so many questions that need to be resolved by Sunday and answered during the first night’s main event.
