Can we really argue that Cody is anything but main event level at the current moment? The graphic isn't that outrageous when he's moving merch like a main eventer, WWE has his face on promo material for almost the next month of house and live shows. The fans like him and the McMahon machine is clearly behind him so he can't be anything but a top guy until one of those things change
Cody Rhodes is a top guy, this wasn't on my bingo card for 2022 but he is. The only ones not accepting of it at this point are AEW fans who want him to fail for the weird storylines up until he left and then him actually bailing on the company.
Somehow Old Vince has done something Younger But Still Old Vince, Tony Khan, and Cody Rhodes himself couldn't do and make this dude presentable. He feels big time.
Cody was not shyt in aew.
As cody was exposed in njpw.
Fully Exposed in roh and was super trash in the nwa.
So when he went to aew. Cody had to not challenge for the aew title. As his workrate never ramped in the indies.
Since cody never humbled himself to ramp.
Since cody was built off nepotism and being a wwe in house made and trained talent. Plus cody could not do what the son in law would never do. Which is regulate himself on the card via workrate and real draw. So aew did not mirror the trash that was. The authority and every garbage opening to Raw.
that included the trash promos of the son in law.
After cody ran off.
Simply because khan realized cody never had workrate.
Plus was an official indy hero who saved wrasslin for real.
With a background as a state wrasslin champion of all things as well.
Khan made cody an offer.
relative to what cody was probably worth.
Cody already had power in aew like cripple ache as evp. Yet that power should not translate to card placement like cripple ache in wwe. Especially when both hhh and cody. Never have or will have real mainevent workrate bell to bell pillar to post.
So cody went back to wwe.
where he can coast without ever ramping in workrate. Never having to create compelling programs. To have his promos planned out and be a drone to vkm. Plus fear of being punished.
if cody pushes back. Instead of being allowed indie freedom and card placement relative to actual talent and workrate executed inring. Let alone real draw.
So cody is right where he showed he was in the indies. As a coddled low workrate in house wwe talent. Who refuses to ramp because of nepotism. Cody showed he was not talented enough. unless carried by bullet club. Cody showed against daniels. He was not up to par as a indy hero who saved wrasslin. Plus was exposed in roh with the ring of honor. As mjf lapped cody with shorter on screen and in ring time. with the same gimmick cody had with the ring of honor in aew.
As well,.....plus mjf also showcased amd exposed. cody had no chops as a heel. Incomparison to effective swerves mjf had inprogram with cody. Incomparison to the bullet club swerve. centered around cody's failed coup of the elite. Cody showed no he was not even on his brother, dustin level.
In character as stardust incomparisom to goldust.
Plus not as a workbased grappler.
On the natural's level in the nwa.
When cody was nwa champion. When the nwa needed star power. Especially if we compare current wwe emasculated nwa champion Zach ryder aka matt cordova.
Promo to promo.
Including heat and inring workrate
Plus vignette and championship heel promo as well. As cordova is showing how fearful wwe was.
about someone exposing the glass ceiling structure of the son in law's company edict based legacy. That will always be exposed. As soon as scsa or the rock has to be brought back.
to drive fan interest back into the son in law destroyed drawing power at the gate and ratings.
Art Barr
. Surprises are no longer surprises and debuts ends up being the big payoff
