Since November, Cody Rhodes’ character has gotten under my skin. Despite being a so-called babyface, I watched him try to hijack CM Punk’s Survivor Series team, disrespect his boss without provocation, needlessly brag about his manhood while children were watching, and gaslight Sami Zayn.
As SmackDown approached, I half-joked with my Cageside coworkers about the third coming of “The American Nightmare” signaling society’s continuing spiral, as Rhodes somehow represents a role model. Internally, I made peace with the fact that he would likely regain the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Then the bell rang Friday night, and I forgot all about that. I got swept up in Rhodes’ last push to reach Mania as champion against title holder Drew McIntyre. By the end, I was pulling for “Raheem.”
Much of that came from the opening. As soon as the bell rang, McIntyre tried to retreat, but Rhodes’ body language shouted, “I don’t think so!” He chased the champion down and took the fight straight to him.
Rhodes didn’t meander or pander. He fought with the urgency of a man realizing he might miss WWE’s biggest event as his title hopes were slipping away.
As Rhodes continued swarming McIntyre, he grabbed a fan’s drink and smashed it in McIntyre’s face — no theatrics. Rhodes saw the cup, snatched it, and essentially told McIntyre, “Take this.”
The crowd at Portland’s Moda Center added to the electricity. They were firmly behind Rhodes, and their energy came through the screen into my living room as I started rallying with them.
McIntyre was just as sharp in his role, staggering under Rhodes’ onslaught. After leveling QB1 with a kick, McIntyre’s eyes bulged as he sold the gravity of the moment. When he locked back in on the challenger, his eyes were burning with rage.
And that was just the first three minutes of a 20-minute, commercial-free slugfest. Because there wasn’t a break in the action, I stayed dialed in.
A key moment later highlighted the match’s top-notch selling. McIntyre drove Rhodes into the ring apron with a side slam, leaving him writhing while McIntyre still tried to shake off the effects of Rhodes’ early barrage.
Then they broke out the big guns: powerslam, superplex, a powerbomb through a table. Now, the crowd was on its feet heading into the final stretch.
After two ref bumps, McIntyre tried to finish things with a steel chair. Jacob Fatu appeared and took it away. Though his presence briefly broke McIntyre’s focus, his involvement was limited to keeping things fair.
Then came the finish.
McIntyre missed a Claymore Kick. Rhodes answered with a quick one-two, hitting a super Cody Cutter before sealing it with a Cross Rhodes for the three-count.
Nothing complicated about it. The champion swung and missed. The challenger capitalized. And just like that, there was a new champion and a very elated crowd.
While my issues with Rhodes will likely resurface as early as his next promo, for now, I happily celebrate his and McIntyre’s work of art. This was wrestling at its very best, producing high drama, strong pacing, and a satisfying finish.
