Meltzer: Cody Rhodes is doing bigger numbers than prime Cena

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Yea, yes, I kayfabe stan the hell outta Roman Reigns. But, I find it weird that ppl forget how big Roman has been for this whole run.
very true. I'll be honest...i fully expect babyface roman's return to absolutely overshadow Cody. He is going to be an absolute monster.
 
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cena was hated by half of the audience and drove a lot of fans away, he didnt become universally loved until after his prime and a lot of the kids that his character was targeted towards grew up and became teens/adults who view him as the goat

cody thus far hasnt faced those obstacles and has been universally loved as the top guy since coming back
 
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He needs to stay heel and just be a sympathetic heel like Scarface or Michael Corleone. Like “yeah he’s bad, but I respect his code”
i think he doesn't need to do anything other than maybe pick up the pace of his entrance song, and face bad guys instead of good guys...literally everything else can remain the same and he's top babyface in the company
 

Jmare007

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very true. I'll be honest...i fully expect babyface roman's return to absolutely overshadow Cody. He is going to be an absolute monster.
I'm asking out of ignorance. Is there a big heel for him to feud with? I know the Bloodline has Solo doing his own stuff, but is that enough? Kinda feels like for a huge Roman angle he needs to comeback so "save the company" or something to that level of importance. Like, the Rock taking over and fukking shyt up for everyone, but I know that's 9 months from now and not a moment sooner, lol.
 
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Hey_zeus

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The company is hotter due to the Bloodline which was one of their hottest angles in modern times. Cawdy is additive but Cena was the franchise himself.
 

Love Sosa

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That’s more due to Triple H’s better booking, actually having a competent women’s division, compelling storylines (Bloodline, Gunther’s reign, the Rock’s return).

Cody is good but I don’t believe he’s drawing in casual fans like that.
Yes this is true, and the Bloodline plays a huge part in it as well, but facts are facts and numbers are numbers. Cody is the guy now, business is boomin. Cena was the guy and people (like myself) quit watching. Doesn’t mean it was totally cena’s fault because the company wanted to shove him and go PG but he didn’t have anything close to the buzz WM 40 had.
 

firemanBk

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This is so ridiculous lol. Cody is doing well but the house was built by Roman and The Bloodline. Come on now lol....
Roman and the Bloodline have absolutely nothing to do with house shows lol
So those numbers are all Cody
I'm not even a Cody fan, but this guy is drawing $$$$ right now
Top merch seller, moving the tickets for house shows and events
 
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I'm asking out of ignorance. Is there a big heel for him to feud with? I know the Bloodline has Solo doing his own stuff, but is that enough? Kinda feels like for a huge Roman angle he needs to comeback so "save the company" or something to that level of importance. Like, the Rock taking over and fukking shyt up for everyone, but I know that's 9 months from now and not a moment sooner, lol.
Solo and GoD vs usos and Roman (I think Jey saying he lost his family last night was leading to this further), is big.

From there, it's the same heels that Cody has...Gunther, drew, punk if he turns, Seth is always plug and play, breaker, etc. he ran thru all the babyfaces, so he has a whole menu to face as a baby.
 

Love Sosa

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Roman and the Bloodline have absolutely nothing to do with house shows lol
So those numbers are all Cody
I'm not even a Cody fan, but this guy is drawing $$$$ right now
Top merch seller, moving the tickets for house shows and events
Went to a bunch of house shows last year and Cody and Seth were by far the most over
 

Ohnoits

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Roman and the Bloodline have absolutely nothing to do with house shows lol
So those numbers are all Cody
I'm not even a Cody fan, but this guy is drawing $$$$ right now
Top merch seller, moving the tickets for house shows and events
Roman is an incredible villain but people just ignoring all the shows selling out that didn't have Roman or the Bloodline prominently on the card. By the time mid 2023-to beginning of 2024 was rolling around, Cody was putting in work overshadowing Rollins. The Bloodline storyline is one of the best WWE's ever had for as long as its gone but it was reaching the point where it needed to come to a shift--I went to several live events last year, and Cody was the top attraction on the card. It's just what it is.

For the record, I do think a top babyface and a top heel make each other. Until Cody really rose in prominence you didn't really have anyone that was big enough on the other side of the spectrum to feasibly take out Roman. IMO, Sammy has shown that while he's still over, he didn't have that staying power, and Jey has taken a bit longer to cook. LA Knight is still there, I am not personally a fan but I think they are going to miss something if they don't capitalize on him.
Smackdown may actually have the same problem as being a main venter trapped on a show with Rock, Triple H and Austin back in the day- basically you are waiting hoping for someone to get an injury or be out shooting a movie just so you can get a shot at a title reign. At least on RAW with the other world title you maybe can get in the mix against Rollins, Gunther, Drew and Punk - but I'd be worried about being an upper carder like LA knight and stuck on a show with Roman and Cody.
 

Ohnoits

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very true. I'll be honest...i fully expect babyface roman's return to absolutely overshadow Cody. He is going to be an absolute monster.
I saw some speculation that I'm wondering about.

The obvious play is to make Roman a face...but what if they swerve and go another direction?

They could have him come back and actually when you think he's going to pull a babyface and challenge Solo - instead, come in and say in fact yes Solo was acting on his orders the whole time, and all of this is to his design, and Paul was wrong to doubt the rule of the chief etc.

I'd never thought of it before. The monster pop you would get for the face turn -- and then the complete decimating boos you would get if in fact - no he is doubling down and worse and more brutal than before.

I honestly don't know which way Triple H would go but the more I thought of it, the more I realized that it's a possibility because he likes to book for heels, and Roman's best work has been his heel work as Tribal Chief. Plus, Rock could have a chance to go face against him/or there could be more to do with that storyline...
 
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