CODY RHODES – ONE STEP DOWN
I am going to go very simple with this one. “Old-school”, if you will.
I’m fine with Christian as the new IC Champion. Some fans view it as a step down for him, given the fact he was working WHC programs prior to his time off. I think he’s now back where he belongs.
With that, I disagree with the decision to immediately put the title on Christian, subsequently taking it off Cody Rhodes. It’s a fundamental practice in wrestling to have the babyface chasing the title and the heel. It’s not always the case, but it’s a general rule of thumb.
This is a great example of why that’s the case.
Establishing strong heels in pro wrestling is hard. There’s a variety of reasons why that is, but it’s true. Yet, WWE has managed to do it with Cody Rhodes. He’s about as good as it gets for a midcard to upper-midcard bad guy.
That’s where he will likely stay, too, for most (if not all) of his career.
This week's Smackdown suggested the program isn’t over between him and Christian. But as a fan, it’s hard to buy into the idea Rhodes will win his title back for a second time in a month or two. Therefore, it’s hard to suspend disbelief.
Why couldn’t you have Cody sneak out of Over The Limit with the title? Christian was wrestling his second match of the night. It wouldn’t have hurt him to lose.
If Christian as champion was the plan, you could still get that after a good, back-and-forth program between the two, drawn out over two-three months. We’re still going to get that more than likely, but the difference will be damaging to Cody.
Cody now won’t be allowed to win any matches going forward. As champion, he could have gotten one or two at least, even if by fluke or disqualification.
I’m still looking forward to Christian vs. Cody Rhodes, but not as much as I would have with Cody as champion. I already know the outcome to every match. Where’s the fun in that?
