Wrestlemania 39 will go down as one of the biggest WWE events in history. With some big wins and spectacular performances, fans could not have asked for much more. However, many were left deeply disappointed in the result of the main event where Cody Rhodes lost to Roman Reigns.
Previously, Cody Rhodes made his highly touted return to the WWE. After besting Seth Rollins on back-to-back occasions, Cody would then go on to punch his ticket to Wrestlemania 39 after winning the 2023 Royal Rumble. As such, it was decided that Rhodes would challenge Roman Reigns for The WWE Undisputed Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39.
Following his loss to Reigns, thanks to an intervention by Solo Sikoa, Cody will now have to work his way back to a title shot yet again. Speaking about the events that unfolded, WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H had some interesting things to say. “It’s always interesting to me when people say ‘how could that happen?’, or ‘how could they do that?’ at that moment. And it’s almost perfectly spelled out in the story, ‘I need to finish the story.’ In the WWE, the story never finishes.”
Further, Triple H continued to say that this was simply another chapter, rather than an entire story. As such, the story will continue on Monday Night Raw at the sold-out Crypto Arena. Despite many fans wanting ‘The American Nightmare’ to win, it appears as though Triple H had other plans. Notably, it appears as though WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was not involved in making this decision.
Did Triple H make Cody Rhodes lose to take revenge?
As mentioned previously, a lot of fans were disappointed with the route the WWE took with Cody Rhodes. Thus, the buildup since his arrival from AEW led up to this moment, only for it to not pay off. Arguably, it was the biggest moment of Rhodes’ career, one that his father Dusty Rhodes would have been proud of.
Following the defeat, Cody was visibly dejected having fallen short at the last obstacle. With Reigns’ victory over Rhodes at Wrestlemania 39, he will likely cross 1000 days as champion, much to the dislike of many fans rooting for a change. Further, fans remain unconvinced by Triple H’s explanation for how things unfolded. Although the WWE Chief reiterated that they wouldn’t have made this decision unless they were able to bring forth a ‘compelling story’ out of it.
However, some fans feel that Triple H is simply taking for Cody Rhodes did previously. At AEW’s “Double or Nothing” PPV in 2019, Cody smashed a throne with a sledgehammer. Cody’s actions were seen as a direct call out to Triple H, seeing that the throne was strikingly similar to his. Moreover, the sledgehammer has long been known to be Triple H’s signature weapon. Thus, fans have theorized that this is possibly Triple H’s way of getting back at Cody.
Although it makes for a credible in-universe story, the matter outside it is very different. Paul “Triple H” Levesque sang Cody’s praises and how well he conducted himself in the biggest fight of such an important event. Thus, it appears as though Rhodes will remain the main character in the storyline. With that said, how will the story pan out next? Only time will tell.