Why Kevin Nash Calls Cody Rhodes The ‘Perfect Fucking Champion’ For WWE

After two years of trying to finish his story, Cody Rhodes finally achieved his lifelong dream and became Undisputed WWE Champion at WrestleMania 40. Since then, he has been riding high as the new face of the company, especially during WWE’s recent tour of the United Kingdom, where Rhodes has been in action on every single show.

Rhodes is one of the only top champions WWE has had in recent years that has a full-time schedule, which is why Kevin Nash stated on “Kliq This” that the mentality Rhodes has of wanting to perform on every show is why he is the perfect man to be at the top of the card. “The only old school guy that’s still in that locker room that’s of the new era is Cody,” Nash said. “Cody would work 300 fucking days a year and wouldn’t bat an eye, that’s why he’s the perfect fucking champion right now. He’s not going to take time off, he’s going to show up fucking an hour before anybody else, and sign 250 fucking belts.”

On the UK tour, Rhodes successfully defended his title against Shinsuke Nakamura each night, taking his total amount of defenses to five since WrestleMania 40 as he recently defeated Dominik Mysterio in a dark match after the April 12 “WWE SmackDown.” Rhodes will make his first televised defense of the Undisputed WWE Championship at the company’s next Premium Live Event, Backlash, which takes place on May 4 in Lyon, France, where he will face former WWE Champion AJ Styles in the main event. Rhodes also has his eye on The Rock for when he eventually returns to the company, as “The Great One” made it clear he will be coming back for Rhodes when he does eventually return.

Nic Nemeth Assesses How WWE Booked WrestleMania 40 Main Event

It may have taken place over a week ago, but Cody Rhodes finishing the story and defeating Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania remains the talk of the town. And this past Friday on “Busted Open Radio,” Nic Nemeth became the latest to chime in with his thoughts on Rhodes’ victory. Pointing out how impressive it was that Rhodes’ story remained captivating for multiple years, Nemeth believes WWE ultimately stuck the landing.

“It was the right call,” Nemeth said. “I knew, we all knew there’d be shenanigans, and people coming down. I was just hoping that one, it wasn’t nonstop run-ins from the heroes that you grew up on, and then they saved the day. I just wanted them to neutralize all the outside interference, and then get back to it.”

Like The Rock, Nemeth also took the time to praise Seth Rollins for his work in the storyline. In particular, Nemeth pointed out how much of a team player Rollins was in allowing his owns storylines to take a backseat in favor of highlighting Rhodes’ story.

“We were all a few months ago going ‘Who’s he going to tear it down with for the World Heavyweight Championship?'” Nemeth said. “And he puts it all on hold, multiple different times, to help one person tell one story that will lead the company down the line. 

“That’s a huge thing that we kind of overlook that happens a lot, and you have to remember that. You have to remember that when Seth needs a favor down the line, it’s time for Cody to jump on the grenade for him one day and go ‘Okay, you go tell your story brother.’ Because all we are is stories, and there just can’t be one.”

Cody Rhodes Finishes The Story, Ends Roman Reigns’ WWE Title Reign At WrestleMania 40

Cody Rhodes has officially finished his story and captured the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from Roman Reigns, ending his multi-year title reign, during the main event of night two of WrestleMania 40. The stipulation of the match was Bloodline Rules, determined by Rhodes and former World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins losing in the main event of night one to The Rock and Reigns. The match rules let the likes of Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and The Rock interfere on behalf of Reigns, but Rollins dressed in SHIELD gear, Jey Uso, John Cena, and even The Undertaker came to Rhodes’ aid.

Reigns and Rhodes battled it out from the middle of the ring into the crowd, as anything was legal during the match. Multiple spears, Disaster Kicks, Superman punches, Cody Cutters, and more were hit during the battle. Rhodes was able to get the victory after hitting three Cross Rhodes in a row after Reigns was distracted by former SHIELD teammate Rollins.

Following his victory, Rhodes was joined in the ring by various babyfaces from the back, including Kevin Owens, LA Knight, Randy Orton, and more. His wife Brandi Rhodes, his mother and the family of the late Brodie Lee joined Rhodes in the ring as well. Rhodes got on the microphone following the match and thanked Bruce Pritchard, and asked Paul “Triple H” Levesque to join in as well, in celebration of what Rhodes called a new era, and the two shook hands and embraced. Rhodes continued to celebrate with various members of the roster. fellow WWE employees, and members of the crowd to end the show.

WWE Star Drew McIntrye Shares The Proudest Moment Of His Career

“WWE Raw” star Drew McIntyre has had an impressive career, from WWE to the indies, and back. The former “Chosen One” was released from the company in 2014, and returned to “WWE NXT” after working on himself both professionally and personally in 2017. Recently, McIntyre spoke with “ReviewSTL” about his career and what he’s most proud of. He said it was hard to choose just one moment because he’s proud of everything he’s been able to do both in and out of the ring.

“I guess being champion during the pandemic time just because it was such an unpredictable time, such a scary time,” McIntyre said. “Nobody knew what was going on. Everybody was genuinely worried, and WWE decided to push ahead with our original content when every other sport and entertainment company shut down and some of our top Superstars stepped away … It was up to somebody to step up and I was given the chance to step up and be the leader and be the one who’s trying to do new things to entertain … and connect with the fans at home without a live audience there, which means there’s no playbook.”

McIntyre’s major championship win happened with no fans in attendance. He won the 2020 Royal Rumble match before the world shut down due to the pandemic. He went on to defeat Brock Lesnar in under five minutes to become champion, but posed on the turnbuckle for the cameras at the WWE Performance Center rather than an arena of screaming fans. He held the WWE Championship through the “ThunderDome Era” of WWE, when the company was running shows from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, to screens of fans watching online. McIntyre retained his championship at Elimination Chamber in the ThunderDome, but The Miz cashed in his Money In The Bank contract to take the title.

Jake Roberts Names His Top Wrestler Who Should Have Been World Champion

On his latest episode of “The Snake Pit” podcast, Jake “The Snake” Roberts was asked about wrestlers that he felt would have benefited from a world title run. Roberts revealed one name — the late “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig. It’s worth noting that during his WWE career, even Roberts never won a WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

“Curt Hennig,” said Roberts. “Curt Hennig, he had all the tools, man. There’s a lot of guys out there that could have done it, man, but Curt Hennig, comes to the top. He was top-level. He was top shelf.” 

While Hennig was never a World Heavyweight Champion in WWE, he did hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship twice in his career, while in WCW, he was both the WCW World Tag Team Champion and WCW United States Heavyweight Champion. Mr. Perfect also wrestled in several promotions including All Japan Pro Wrestling, AWA, and the NWA. 

Hennig’s last wrestling match was on January 8, 2003, for Impact Wrestling, then known as Total Nonstop Action. The match saw Hennig defeat Ric Flair’s son, David Flair, in an Axe-Handle on a Pole match. A month later, Hennig passed away on February 10, 2003, at the age of 44. Mr. Perfect was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007. 

Hennig’s son is also a pro wrestler, former WWE Superstar Curtis Axel, and like his father, he too held the WWE Intercontinental title. His WWE in-ring career lasted from 2007 to 2020, but Axel returned to the promotion in 2022 to work as a producer, but the gig only lasted for three months.

Major Update On WWE’s WrestleMania XL Main Event

Roman Reigns is currently set to defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania XL.

This is per Dave Meltzer, who reported as much on Wrestling Observer Radio.

WWE’s 40th incarnation of WrestleMania takes place at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s Lincoln Financial Field across 6 and 7 April, 2024. With over nine months still to pass between now and the year’s biggest wrestling show, it’s entirely possible that WWE may change its mind prior to XL – though Rhodes vs. Reigns is what the company has in mind at the moment.

Reigns and Rhodes clashed in the WrestleMania 39 main event this April past, with Roman defeating Cody in an outcome met with widespread shock across the wrestling world. To earn his shot, Rhodes won the 2023 Royal Rumble, establishing himself as the betting favourite to dethrone Reigns, ending the Bloodline kingpin’s long reign atop WWE.

Roman took his first pinfall in well over 1,000 days at Money in the Bank 2023 this weekend, with Jey Uso putting his shoulders to the mat for the three-count, winning the Bloodline Civil War for The Usos. Jey vs. Roman is now expected to take place at SummerSlam 2023.

Rob Van Dam Recalls How He Felt After Winning WWE Championship

Rob Van Dam has had countless memorable moments throughout his legendary career, but perhaps the crowning jewel came when he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and dethroned John Cena as WWE Champion at ECW’s One Night Stand event back in 2006.

While speaking on his podcast “1 Of A Kind,” Van Dam reflected on the moments following the conclusion of the match.

“What I remember about that is [the referee counting] 1, 2, 3. Oh my God, that just happened,” Van Dam said. “That’s how I felt. I’m on top of the world right now. The coveted, top seat in the industry. [It was like] ‘Woah,’ and I did it my way which meant so much more to me than winning it twenty times doing it their way.”

Van Dam recalled dropping down to his knees to taking in the moment when he was handed the WWE Championship by Paul Heyman after he counted the final fall of the match.

“This is the way I remember it,” Van Dam said. “He was like, ‘If you’re going to cry, then we’ll cry together. We’ll play it that way.’ Instead, I think I grabbed the belt and he went from almost crying to not crying just by playing it off of me.”

Van Dam couldn’t remember what the reaction of WWE executive chairman Vince McMahon was and mentioned that he didn’t remember seeing him at all backstage. He credited the build-up he had undertaken throughout his career prior to the match as the driving force behind his journey to the top of the WWE mountain and questioned if he would’ve achieved what he did otherwise.

Jake The Snake Roberts Says WWE Legend Became Full Of Himself When He Got The Title

Jake “The Snake” Roberts and “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels were notorious for their partying ways during their professional wrestling careers. But according to Roberts, on a new episode of “The Snake Pit,” the two wrestlers never crossed paths much, mainly due to HBK’s personality issues.

“I never partied around much with Shawn,” Roberts explained. “I seen him in the locker room and that was about it. We made a few car trips together, used to be okay in the beginning. Later on, he seemed to be full of himself.” The Hall of Famer said that Michaels’s ascent to the top of WWE created a huge ego problem that made him difficult to be around.

“Once he started getting a push, brother, oh brother,” Roberts quipped. He went on to mention that he didn’t even say hello to Michaels at Roberts’ WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2014, despite the two having a shared friend in the late Scott Hall. 

He stated that he and Michaels don’t have much in common. “He doesn’t roll with the people I roll with,” Roberts concluded.

Roberts has been outspoken about how little he respected Michaels as a champion, lumping him and Bret “Hitman” Hart together in a generation that didn’t understand the psychology of selling. “He just wasn’t a champion to me,” Roberts said. “There, I said it. Neither one of them [were].”

This news is no surprise considering the number of wrestlers who had heat with Shawn Michaels over the course of the divisive superstar’s career.

Kurt Angle Confirms Scrapped Plans For Year-Long WWE Title Reign

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle won six world titles in WWE, but he only headlined WrestleMania once, when he defended the WWE Title against Brock Lesnar ar WrestleMaia 19 in 2003. Angle recently revealed that specific reign, which was his third as WWE Champion, did not go as originally planned.

“I was supposed to have a title reign for a whole year,” Angle said on “The Kurt Angle Show.” “That was going to be the whole plan. I was going to beat The Big Show. I was going to carry it into WrestleMania, beat Brock [Lesnar], and continue on. But unfortunately, I broke my neck in February and I couldn’t. I couldn’t and I had to have surgery after WrestleMania.”

Angle defeated Big Show at Armageddon 2002 to begin the reign in question and successfully defended the title three times leading up to WrestleMania. Two of those defenses were against Chris Benoit, with the 2003 Royal Rumble match between the two as Angle’s all-time personal favorite, and the other was against Lesnar. 

Instead of holding the title for a year, Angle lost the title to Lesnar in the main event at WrestleMania, ending his reign at 105 days. Following that WrestleMania, Angle was out of action for about two and a half months, returning to TV that June. Angle had a history of neck issues dating back to before he became a wrestler in WWE, as he famously won an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling with a “broken freaking neck.” Angle went on to regain the title from Lesnar for the title at Vengeance that July.

Eric Bischoff On How WWE Can Make Their Titles Feel Important

During a recent episode of the 83 Weeks Podcast focusing on Starrcade 1991, Eric Bischoff talked about the US Championship during that time being a launching pad directly to the WCW Championship. Bischoff said this was a perfect way to make belts mean something and used in a way where talent wanted to become champion for a reason.

“Absolutely love it,” Bischoff said. “We often hear about belts meaning something, that’s a general criticism I’ve been hearing since 1987. One of the ways that making a championship mean something is the establishment of structure that creates a journey. The journey is a big part of the story. I think when you have the structure of a US title being the last step to the ultimate prize, that inherently creates a lot of story, structure, potential. Without it, it’s just random.

“Matches are made randomly, the stakes as a result are kind of non-existent. I’m a firm believer that you can’t go back to the way things used to be, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some elements of what worked in the past that you can’t adapt to the current product to enhance it.”

Bischoff continued to talk about AEWs rankings system that currently helps them decide the number one contender for each of their titles. He said he approves of the idea strongly because it gives them the opportunity to tell stories that make sense.

“One of the things I like about AEW is the rankings,” Bischoff said. “It provides opportunity for conflict right off the bat. Even if there’s nothing going on today with regard to conflict as a result of the standings, the potential is there. When you call back to it and you need it, it’s right there. You’re not making it up all at once, this stuff is not popping up out of nowhere. You don’t have to use it all the time but when you need it, it’s there.

“The audience already understands it, they’ve already been exposed to it and now all you need to do is create the conflict that can be born out of it. I’m a big fan of that, I think its sorely lacking in today’s product.”

Bischoff went in depth on why there’s so many issues today with storytelling and world championships. He asked specifically why would anyone want to be world champion today because there’s no reason behind it.

“Why do people fight for that?” Bischoff said. “Why is it really a goal? It’s not stated. In Boxing, winning a World Heavyweight championship means you won the biggest part of the purse. It was about the money. We’ve lost that. What does it really mean [to be champion]? Becoming a world champion, what does it really mean for an honest relatable way to the audience?

“All it means is that you’re going to be in the main event a lot. There’s nothing that the average person can relate to, stakes. They’re non-existent. In this case, the championship is really nothing but a prop. It’s something to hold onto while you’re telling a story but it’s not relatable to the audience.”

Bischoff said top stars like Roman Reigns need to explain why they want to be champion and why the belt means so much to them. He also said the average person can’t relate to anyone wanting to be champion because there’s no relatable bonuses when you win that title.

“I would love to hear a Roman Reigns, I’m not sure if he’s a heel or a baby face at this point, but what does it mean to him personally to be [WWE Champion] from a financial standpoint that people can relate to?” Bischoff asked. “Things like that are important. They resonate with the audience. I would like to see structure and relatable stakes and discussion as to why does anyone really care to be World Champion.

“The average person can’t relate to the fact that if Roman Reigns wins the World Championship he gets a really really touring bus as a dressing room. They don’t relate to it. That’s a perk, tell me about the money man. What does it mean to your life, your children, why is it so freaking important to you? I don’t often hear those other things articulated, it’s just ‘Oh, he’s the champion.’ So what? It means he’s going to be on the pay per view every month. Oh, okay cool.”

Bischoff discussed how the pay of a talent pay can be such an important way of telling stories. He also shared if he’s ever heard of a talent being fired from WWE or any company for sharing with the media how much they’ve made and what he would’ve done in WCW if that happened.

“No, I never have,” Bischoff said. “I can tell you my perspective, when I would find out or be convinced that someone was bragging about or using how much they were making to stir things up in a locker room, it would dramatically in a profound way impact my level of respect for said talent. It changed a lot of things for me. People like Sting, kept his s–t to himself. He was a professional about it.

“[In WWE] I’ve heard many stories directly from the individuals involved how they would use information they came across accidentally or intentionally, how they would use that to stir up stuff in the locker room. If I couldn’t fire somebody for that, I would certainly want to.”