Cody Rhodes officially finished his story at WrestleMania 40, but an important question remains – what’s next?
Following Rhodes’ victory over Roman Reigns in the night two main event of WrestleMania 40, WWE Superstars Charlotte Flair and CM Punk shared their thoughts (via ESPN) on what may lay ahead for the brand new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. According to Flair, Rhodes’ win over Reigns could simply be a marker for the start of his story.
“I really think his story is just beginning,” Flair said. “He’s exactly where he should be, but the biggest takeaway is Cody was here. He went away, he came back. Kind of like Paul Heyman’s speech at the Hall of Fame, people kept telling him ‘No, No, No’ or things kept failing and that never wavered either person’s confidence. Cody is a testament to knowing your worth and I think that’s what we need to take away from tonight is he believed in himself and he knew that he deserved more. That’s why he walked out WrestleMania 40 as champion.”
CM Punk Issues A Stark Reminder
With his WrestleMania win, Cody Rhodes becomes the first member of the Rhodes family to win the WWE Championship. This also marks the first world championship reign of Cody’s individual career.
While there is a natural excitement surrounding Cody’s triumph, five-time world champion CM Punk has issued a stark reminder that just because one has reached the proverbial mountaintop, doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll stay there for long.
“Now listen, a black belt is a white belt that didn’t quit. He just earned his black belt. and unlike his finishing maneuver. we are no longer at a crossroads. I think the path is clear, possibly the Cody Rhodes era,” Punk said. “But I will warn him it is much harder to stay on top than it is to get there and we all saw how hard it was for him to get there. There’s a lot of people gunning for him.”
As one story ends, another typically begins. With that in mind, it seems as though Cody Rhodes has now teased the possibility of introducing a new title design as well.