Finally, the Rock has returned to WrestleMania... and he could make it impossible for Cody Rhodes to finish his story.
Cody Rhodes’ run to the main events of WrestleMania XL aren’t just the byproduct of a Royal Rumble victory. It’s the culmination of a years-long quest for validation and a chance to right the wrongs of Roman Reigns’ tainted WrestleMania 39 win.
Rhodes, the son of legend Dusty Rhodes and younger half-brother of Dustin “Goldust” Rhodes, went through several permutations that attempted to turn his proficiency inside the ring and story outside it into stardom. It never quite worked, so he bet on himself — first as a touring star across Japan and the American independent circuit, then as one of the founding executives behind All Elite Wrestling.
He rose to new heights outside WWE. He also understood he could only climb so high without the monolith that rules American wrestling (and the fact he booked himself into a corner at AEW, but that’s beside the point).
Thus, he left AEW and returned to the company that had repeatedly done his family dirty since Dusty emerged as a self-made star outside the then-WWF, resisting overtures to join the company as it gobbled up regional competitors across the United States. Rhodes eventually capitulated and joined Vince McMahon’s company, not as a world beater but as a polka dot-clad midcarder. His brother, once “The Natural” in WCW, was turned into an androgynous, Hollywood-obsessed pest. Both were able to turn these go-nowhere gimmicks into something better — Goldust, in particular, was iconic while being simultaneously ahead of and behind its time — but neither were world champions.
Now Rhodes returns where he fell short in 2023; the main event of WrestleMania. He couldn’t overcome Reigns and The Bloodline last year. He may have to face those same long odds again on Sunday if he and Seth Rollins can’t topple Reigns and The Rock on Saturday. Here are your main events for WrestleMania XL.
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This match will determine the stipulation of Sunday night’s main event. If Rhodes and Rollins win, The Bloodline will be barred from ringside during the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match between Rhodes and Reigns. If The Bloodline wins, that match will be contested under Bloodline Rules.
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