The story is finished.
The odds were stacked against him, but Cody Rhodes rose to the top of WWE by defeating Roman Reigns to become the undisputed WWE Universal Champion, capturing the title he had long wanted in honor of his father.
Bloodline rules governed the bout, enabling all members of Reigns’ side to interfere as they saw fit, making it seem implausible. However, Rhodes received assistance in his quest for greatness.
Rhodes attempted to bring weapons into the encounter early on, but Reigns had none of them. Instead, the champion used a kendo stick on the challenger. Rhodes was able to escape the sticky situation and attempted a submission with Ric Flair’s figure four leg hold, but was unsuccessful.
The fight spread into the crowd, and Rhodes suplexed Reigns off the barricade. When it returned to the ring, Reigns caught Rhodes with a power bomb, taking control of the match. Reigns even used a cross Rhodes on the challenger, following in the footsteps of his opponents.
Rhodes went on offense and delivered the bionic elbow to Reigns, causing the match to be moved outside of the ring. A low blow from Reigns shifted the momentum again, and the champion delivered a power bomb that sent Rhodes through the announcer’s table. He went to finish it, but Rhodes kicked out. Rhodes then attempted to pin the title with a spear, like Reigns had done.
When Rhodes appeared to be closing in, Jimmy Uso came to his aid and superkicked him. Jey Uso came out to take out his identical brother by spearing him off the ramp in an unusual location. As Rhodes regained momentum, Solo Sikoa attempted a Samoan spike. A spear-Samoan spike combo was attempted, but Rhodes kicked out.
Then came John Cena, who gave Reigns and Sikoa an attitude adjustment. But then The Rock walked up to confront Cena in another epic showdown. A rock bottom was hit on Cena as Seth Rollins came in to assist, but he was Superman punched. The Undertaker then came out and chokeslammed The Rock in a violent sequence.
Rhodes then received the three cross Rhodes that he had longed for on Reigns. He received the pin, allowing him to become champion and complete the story.
When Rhodes returned to WWE in 2022, he stated that he intended to win the WWE title that his father, WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, had never held. Two years later, “The American Nightmare” realizes “The American Dream.”
