SmackDown Live Live SmackDown Discussion thread, March 7th 2025: Cody Rhodes returns to SmackDown after John Cena's vicious betrayal

[Ricky Smarks]

Brandon, let’s be honest. You’re secretly Cena’s biggest fan and you want him to win more than any of us. You don’t need to hide it.

Cena seems to have had a renaissance with the IWC so there’s no reason for me to hide it.

 

[OsBlaze]

Wrestlemania has no problem having baby faces win every match and I’ve seen that before which is why there was a stretch on here people might remember when I said wrestlemania was actually my least favorite night of the year because it was so predictable with all the baby faces winning, but just to play your game. That’s a tough one.

If it was going on what I would wish I don’t care about Jey winning all that much to be honest so I would say let Gunther retain, but if I’m going by what I think would be likely then fine Charlotte wins.

I like Tiffany a lot but her losing to Charlotte wouldn’t be as big of a deal as the company saying we still don’t see Cody in the same way we see Cena. Cody needs that final torch.

Fair enough.

But one thing that is wrestling 101 unlike what Shane said...the chase. Which if you go back before the turn is what I was saying about Cena. The story is in the chase. If Cena stayed face then god the chase of him trying to find away to get 17.....magical. perfect even. But he turned so story has to change, the chase has to change.

Cody trying to overcome Rock and Cena for months to get back HIS title is the classic chase that wrestling gives us so so many times.

So it all depends on if they want to go with the feel good moment of Cody winning, or the chase of Cody getting back what would've been stolen from him.

 

[Shane]

Yeah if Cena wins, Cody is obviously going to win it back eventually and the story of him trying to get his title back from an evil and crazed John Cena sounds amazing to me.

 

[Ricky Smarks]

This is honestly way more about how much of a fan I am a Cody though. WWE finally has a guy that has organically gotten to the top. This isn’t a guy that WWE just said this is the guy we’re making but a guy that the fans specifically picked.

He beat the current guy and that’s good enough to be champion, but now he needs the seal of approval from the guy that WWE last treated like the franchise. And mania is where that’s done. Doing it later doesn’t mean as much.

 

[OsBlaze]

This is honestly way more about how much of a fan I am a Cody though. WWE finally has a guy that has organically gotten to the top. This isn’t a guy that WWE just said this is the guy we’re making but a guy that the fans specifically picked.

He beat the current guy and that’s good enough to be champion, but now he needs the seal of approval from the guy that WWE last treated like the franchise. And mania is where that’s done. Doing it later doesn’t mean as much.

I can completely understand that, 100%. I just care about a good story, so if they can tell a good story with Cody winning, so be it. Either path can tell a good story.

Like maybe it's the booker in me trying to think what I'd do in a btb and the ride I'd take everyone on.

 

[Ricky Smarks]

Fair enough.

But one thing that is wrestling 101 unlike what Shane said...the chase. Which if you go back before the turn is what I was saying about Cena. The story is in the chase. If Cena stayed face then god the chase of him trying to find away to get 17.....magical. perfect even. But he turned so story has to change, the chase has to change.

Cody trying to overcome Rock and Cena for months to get back HIS title is the classic chase that wrestling gives us so so many times.

So it all depends on if they want to go with the feel good moment of Cody winning, or the chase of Cody getting back what would've been stolen from him.

The chase is a tried and true method, but there’s different factors of play. One WWE has never been a heel territory so they don’t do the chase as much as most other feds do. They’re more of a baby face on top that sets up and drops the heels, but even with that speaking, you typically don’t have a heel go over at mania to start the chase. You have the chase end at wrestlemania. So it would be better if Cena won at summerslam and then he had to chase and got it back at 42.

The bigger thing, though is the first time you have a generational matchup like this at wrestlemania sets the president. Whoever wins at wrestlemania is the guy that’s getting the seal approval from the company. You can’t get that back in the rematch. It’s just like when Charlotte erroneously went over Rhea Ripley and it took her years to get that seal back.

 

[Shane]

I guess to me the better story is Cena winning it then Cody needs to go on a journey to get it back.

 

[Shane]

The chase is a tried and true method, but there’s different factors of play. One WWE has never been a heel territory so they don’t do the chase as much as most other feds do. They’re more of a baby face on top that sets up and drops the heels, but even with that speaking, you typically don’t have a heel go over at mania to start the chase. You have the chase end at wrestlemania. So it would be better if Cena won at summerslam and then he had to chase and got it back at 42.

The bigger thing, though is the first time you have a generational matchup like this at wrestlemania sets the president. Whoever wins at wrestlemania is the guy that’s getting the seal approval from the company. You can’t get that back in the rematch. It’s just like when Charlotte erroneously went over Rhea Ripley and it took her years to get that seal back.

“the seal of approval from the company” is just a kayfabe thing though. The booking is what matters.

 

[Ricky Smarks]

I guess another factor for me is I don’t even care about the story now and I certainly don’t care enough about the story to see Cody lose and then have to regain it later cause you’re talking about like eight months of the story and I’m not even interested enough to see it play out for for a month, eight months would absolutely kill me lol

 

[Ricky Smarks]

“the seal of approval from the company” is just a kayfabe thing though. The booking is what matters.

Yeah, the booking of putting over the guy you’re telling the world this is the guy.

 

[Ricky Smarks]

Perception is reality and if Cody loses to Cena at the biggest show of the year the entire world now knows Cena is the guy not Cody.

 

[Ricky Smarks]

LA winning the United States Championship tonight was great. I hope this means we have plans for him at WrestleMania.

 

[Ricky Smarks]

I wonder what Nak is doing next too.

 

[Ricky Smarks]

I am enjoying this new character that he’s been doing since I’ve been watching.

 

[OsBlaze]

The chase is a tried and true method, but there’s different factors of play. One WWE has never been a heel territory so they don’t do the chase as much as most other feds do. They’re more of a baby face on top that sets up and drops the heels, but even with that speaking, you typically don’t have a heel go over at mania to start the chase. You have the chase end at wrestlemania. So it would be better if Cena won at summerslam and then he had to chase and got it back at 42.

The bigger thing, though is the first time you have a generational matchup like this at wrestlemania sets the president. Whoever wins at wrestlemania is the guy that’s getting the seal approval from the company. You can’t get that back in the rematch. It’s just like when Charlotte erroneously went over Rhea Ripley and it took her years to get that seal back.

Sucks they don't have more time with Cena as I be fine with that tbh as well. Cause it still gets the story.


But as I mentioned last time with the Charlotte thing, and why I feel like that was worse. She won clean, it wasn't any bullshit. So it made Rhea look bad. Cody not being able to overcome Rock abusing his powers to help Cena doesn't make Cody look bad. Now yes him overcoming it, that makes Cody, I won't even deny that at all. But I just don't think you can compare a clean win to a dirty win and it hurting the lower. If Cena goes Super Cena and just beats Cody, I will say that is fucking dumb.