Controversial headlines make for an interesting read right?

As wrestling fans, right now…we are spoiled! Absolutely spoiled! WWE is absolutely on fire, AEW is turning out the amazing wrestling it is known for, the crossovers between global promotions is truly incredible. Did anyone have TNA working with WWE on their bingo card? But quite importantly, for this article at least…the WWE is finally back on excellent form for the first time in over a decade.

Let’s not avoid the fact that this is the result of 10+  years worth of growth in pro wrestling as a whole.

10 years ago, the indie scene was white hot. The UK scene was smashing it, PWG were doing some of their best work ever. NJPW were at an absolute peak. Do more words need to be written about the Bullet Club and Omega vs Okada? NXT had become its own super indie that peaked around NXT Takeover London in 2015.

However, the main roster in WWE was in the toilet. Part timers were ruining the continuity of storytelling and character building. It felt like 9 months of the year was spent rehabbing younger talent, who had been built up, only to be sacrificed to the part timers on the Road to Wrestlemania.

In the middle of this was Cody Rhodes…

Anyone who watched Cody knew he was a star waiting to shine. He was carved from the same stone as his father, with an amateur wrestling background as well. Those of us who saw the potential were waiting for him to be used to his fullest. Sadly, someone in WWE just didn’t want to believe the grandson of a plumber was ready. Then in 2016, he made the decision to leave WWE and take a gamble on himself.

Cody spent the next two years making all the right appearances, in all the right places, Evolve, PWG, ROH, TNA…joined the Bullet Club in NJPW, taking all that frustration with him. He stole the show everywhere he went and rather importantly, he became friends with Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks along the way. This was the lynch pin in this story.

You all know what happened next…

Dave Meltzer doesn’t believe ROH could run a 10000 seat show, Cody responds “I’ll take that bet Dave”, this builds to a sold out ALL IN in Chicago in 2018, next stop was AEW debut with  Double or Nothing in 2019. (I was lucky enough to be at Double or Nothing, Cody vs Dustin was a moment that wrestling fans will be talking about for a long time.)

AEW launches Dynamite on TNT, builds a strong brand and for the first time since 2001 when WCW closed, there was a mainstream alternative to WWE on TV.

Fast forward to 2022 Cody has had some creative differences with the AEW team, the audience clearly wanted him to turn heel, he had no desire to do so and it was obvious to everyone, he still had a chip (more a whole sack of potatoes) on his shoulder about being THE GUY in WWE.

Cody leaves AEW, signs back to WWE, and so begins “The Story” to defeat Roman Reigns and end the longest WWE Championship reign of the modern era. Cody rises to the occasion and here we are…Cody proved to a lot of people and more importantly, himself, he was The Guy.

That was a fast recap of 10 years of wrestling wasn’t it?!

So let’s break this down…With some questions.

Was Cody responsible for the growth of VOD platforms that would lead to the power of the indies in the early 2010s? 

Absolutely not.

Did Cody launch ProWrestling Tees making it feasible for the indie stars to make a decent living? 

Also a big no.

Did Cody start the Bullet Club and build the relationship between NJPW and North America? 

We can thank Finn Balor and AJ Styles for that one.

Was Cody in the ground breaking NJPW matches that got a load of us watching?

I think we know that goes to names like Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay.

Was Cody one of the big names that gave weight to AEW’s early days?

Kinda, but realistically, it was probably Chris Jericho and John Moxley that had a lot of lapsed WWE fans tuning in for the first time.

Was it Cody’s return to WWE that had made a whole load of people tune back into WWE? 

Again, not really. After the Vince debacle, Triple H taking the lead, the groundwork laid with the Bloodline and strong storytelling was the main reason for the turnaround.

I can feel you thinking, what the hell is your point?!

As we focus on this new golden era, it’s impossible to avoid the person who is the anchor and constant part of the timeline…it’s Cody Rhodes. 

Let’s be clear, I’m not saying something as out there as Cody saved wrestling, but his timeline is certainly a key part and a direct reflection of it (don’t even get me started on how much this reflects the story of Stunning Steve to Stone Cold Steve Austin). The Story was the outcome of 10 years of wrestling history and an outcome that most fans wanted.

Let’s revisit those questions…

Was Cody responsible for the growth of VOD platforms that would lead to the power of the indies in the early 2010s?

No, but at a point where many of these promotions were full of “indy guys” his presence gave them some extra weight that made a whole bunch of people check them out for the first time and be introduced to a whole load of new names and faces in the process.

Did Cody launch ProWrestling Tees making it feasible for the indie stars to make a decent living? 

Still no, but again his presence on the platform seemed to time out with more of the “bigger” and “veteran” names arriving. Meaning more money for more people who weren’t connected to WWE.

Did Cody start the Bullet Club and build that relationship between NJPW and North America? 

Start, no. Play a big part in? Absolutely.

Was Cody in the groundbreaking NJPW matches that got a load of us watching?

No, but the main reason I found myself wanting to watch NJPW more often was because he had gone there and was rewarded with some spectacular wrestling in the process. NJPW equally launched their Global platform, expanded their international commentary team along the way…I came for Cody, I stayed for Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada.

Was Cody one of the big names that gave weight to AEW’s early days?

Still grey, but let’s be honest, Cody was the one with the chip on his shoulder and had a point to prove. Would ALL IN have happened in 2018 without Cody? Probably not. Without ALL IN, would AEW have happened? Probably not.

Was it Cody’s return to WWE that had made a whole load of people tune back into WWE? 

Yes. I’m sure plenty of you, much like me, had heard from a friend who had kept in touch with WWE that The Bloodline story was amazing, you’d heard that Vince was finally out, but Cody was the reason I watched an event and the rest of the ground work was why I enjoyed a whole WWE show for the first time in YEARS and wanted to watch more.

 

Prowrestling is built on stories, every smart ass who says “you know it’s fake right?” has missed the story telling that is a major part of being a fan and why we keep coming back week after week. Cody finishing his story and finally getting to stand on the turnbuckle, in front of a hundred thousand fans, at the end of Wrestlemania, holding the title was an image we all wanted to see. 

It was a payoff that started a new era in wrestling. His win over Roman, ending THAT title reign, with the legends coming and getting involved made for a truly iconic Wrestlemania moment that I feel we will be talking about for a long time. Michael Partridge

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