Why Cody Rhodes' story might never actually get finished

The Tactical Collapse at Night of Champions

Professional wrestling is a business built on momentum, and when Cody Rhodes walked into the arena for Night of Champions, he carried both the Undisputed WWE Championship and the weight of a multi-year narrative. He walked out empty-handed, pinned by Sami Zayn in a decision that fractured WWE's main-event picture and left the booking direction in disarray. The sudden loss did more than end a title run; it stripped Rhodes of his aura of invincibility at a time when he could least afford it.

The match itself was a study in tactical frustration for the former champion. Rhodes dominated the opening ten minutes, working Zayn’s ribs with systematic gutbusters and a vertical suplex. But his reliance on high-risk signatures proved fatal.

A missed disaster kick allowed Zayn to hit an Exploder suplex into the corner, shifting the match's entire momentum. Rhodes tried to salvage the bout by going for his signature triple Cross Rhodes. Zayn countered the third attempt with a low blow and a Helluva Kick to secure the pinfall.

It was a clean, jarring defeat. The loss highlighted a glaring technical vulnerability in Rhodes' late-match defense. When fatigued, he tends to repeat the same sequence, making him predictable for a seasoned competitor.

Sami Zayn’s counter of the Cross Rhodes was not a fluke. It was the direct result of studying tape from Rhodes’ previous title defenses. Critics immediately panned the booking, and former WWE wrestler Val Venis claimed Triple H had lowered the creative bar to dumpster fire levels.

While Venis' tone was hostile, his assessment of the narrative damage was accurate. By putting the belt on Zayn, WWE stalled their top babyface's momentum without a clear recovery plan. Wrestling narratives require logical progression.

When a champion loses, the next step must elevate both the winner and the loser. Here, Zayn's victory felt like a sudden detour rather than an earned climax, leaving Rhodes in creative limbo. The belt is not the only thing Cody Rhodes has lost track of.

The Ghost of the Final Boss

His lingering feud with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson remains a gaping hole in his schedule. Last year, The Rock stood in a WWE ring and declared he wanted Rhodes’ soul before disappearing back to Hollywood. That business fell to John Cena, who shocked fans by turning heel in his final retirement year and aligning with the absent Rock.

Cena became the proxy, executing the Final Boss's will while Johnson filmed blockbusters. It was a bizarre creative pivot that left Rhodes fighting a ghost. The corporate reality of TKO Group Holdings further complicates this feud.

As a board member, Johnson wields real-world power that blurs the lines between character and executive. Rhodes is not just fighting a character; he is fighting a boss who can dictate the company's direction from a board room. Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Rhodes admitted the storyline remains unfinished and outlined two potential paths to resolve the conflict.

The first involves Rhodes leaving wrestling behind to pursue a career in television and film. He suggested that matching Johnson's box office success in Hollywood would be a way to honor and surpass him. The second scenario is more traditional, with Rhodes wanting The Rock to return to a WWE ring for a proper, physical conclusion.

"There's probably two unfinished stories that are out there, and they don't always get finished... There's a version of this where finishing that story is me trying to be as successful as I possibly can be, follow a bit of, if not a lot of, his [The Rock's] lead, break into TV and Hollywood, and do something that he thought only he could do, and do that to honor him. Then there's a version of it that's probably more appealing to a wrestling fan, where the Final Boss shows back up and there is more on the road than a non-ending."

He noted that fans want a real ending, not a series of television teases. But relying on a movie star's calendar is a dangerous strategy for a full-time champion. This is the central flaw of modern WWE booking, which frequently structures its biggest stories around part-time legends.

When those stars leave, full-time performers like Rhodes are left holding the bag. The Rock is gone, Cena is retiring, and Rhodes is left explaining why his biggest story has no ending. At some point, the physical bill must be paid.

The Physical Bill of a Full-Time Champion

Rhodes is turning 41 in a week, a milestone that forces every wrestler to evaluate their longevity. While peers like Roman Reigns have transitioned to limited, part-time schedules to preserve their bodies, Rhodes refuses to slow down. He continues to work a grueling weekly loop of television and live events, taking bumps that accumulate damage over time.

This work ethic is admirable, but it is also physically reckless. Rhodes' in-ring style is built on high-impact bumps that punish the neck and shoulders. At 41, his signature dives to the outside and disaster kicks feel less like athletic triumphs and more like physical gambles.

We have already seen the consequences of this style. In 2022, Rhodes wrestled with a completely torn pectoral muscle, a decision that cemented his legendary status but could have ended his career. Continuing to wrestle a full-time schedule at this age is a race against time.

During his interview on "The Ariel Helwani Show," Rhodes addressed his remaining years in the ring, stating that he does not want to transition to a part-time schedule. Instead, he intends to remain a full-time competitor for the duration of his active career. He suggested his next contract might be a five-year deal, which would take him to age 46.

You can read more about his retirement thoughts on Wrestling Inc's detailed coverage of the interview. Rhodes acknowledged that family will ultimately dictate his exit, noting that his daughter Liberty is only 5 years old. He hopes to wrap up his career in five years so he does not have to take hard bumps when she is ten.

"Liberty's five and by the time she's 10/11/12, I don't need to be falling down no more; at least not like that."

This gives Rhodes a finite window. If he signs a new contract, it will likely be his last. To spend those remaining years working a full-time schedule is a massive risk.

A single major injury could rob him of a proper retirement tour, leaving him to finish his career on the sidelines. When you are at the top, everyone wants a piece of you, and Rhodes' recent title loss has opened the floodgates for critics looking for online engagement. Leading the charge is Val Venis, who has spent the last week launching personal attacks on Twitter.

Noise from the Attitude Era

Venis' comments highlight the persistent skepticism surrounding Rhodes' actual wrestling credentials. Venis took his shots to a new level by dragging Disco Inferno into the discussion. He claimed that Disco Inferno at his worst would mop the stadium floors with the former champion.

This reference was a deliberate attempt to reopen an old wound. Back in 2018, Disco criticized Rhodes for focusing too much on pleasing internet fans instead of drawing money. Rhodes responded with a scathing tweet that went viral, dismissing Disco's career and wrestling knowledge.

By bringing Disco back into the narrative, Venis is attempting to bait Rhodes into another public feud. You can find the full details of Venis' initial comments on Ringside News' report. Rhodes has wisely chosen to ignore the bait so far.

But Venis did not stop there, escalating his rhetoric by challenging Rhodes to a shoot fight. Venis claimed that Rhodes would not survive a real MMA fight with him. He mocked Rhodes’ high school credentials, noting that while Rhodes won two state championships in Georgia, it would not help him in a cage.

Venis even posted an AI-generated graphic showing a mock tale of the tape for the fight. He compared Rhodes to CM Punk, whose transition from pro wrestling to the UFC ended in two lopsided defeats. Venis asserted that Rhodes' confidence far exceeds his actual fighting ability.

For more on this fantasy booking, you can check Ringside News' follow-up article on the MMA challenge. This online noise is ultimately harmless, but it is symptomatic of a larger problem. Now that he has lost the title, he is viewed as vulnerable, and midcarders from the Attitude Era feel emboldened to target him.

The braying from the wrestling past will only get louder if Rhodes cannot reclaim his spot at the top. Cody Rhodes stands at a major career crossroads as his title is gone, his major storyline is in limbo, and his body is aging. The decision to remain a full-time worker is honorable, but history suggests it is unsustainable.

Roman Reigns showed that scarcity creates value, while Rhodes is proving that overexposure breeds targets. He has a limited window left to define his legacy in WWE. To do so, he must resolve the narrative with The Rock and move past this transition phase.

The clock is ticking on his active years, and his story desperately needs an ending. If he cannot finish it soon, his legacy will be defined by what he left incomplete.