Cody Rhodes – “Respect To The Rock, But The Options We Have Here Are Even Better Because Of The Stories”

Cody Rhodes has a great deal of respect for The Rock, but he believes that the stories in WWE are so strong right now going into WrestleMania.

As soon as WrestleMania 39 was announced to be at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles a few years ago, the rumors started right away for a dream match between the current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and one of the biggest WWE superstars of all-time (who happens to be a cousin of Reigns) Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

That’s the same Dwayne Johnson who happens to be one of the biggest movie stars in the world that is also one of the most famous people in the world. The Rock hasn’t had a proper WWE match in ten years since 2013 at WrestleMania 29 when he lost the WWE Title (the “match” at WrestleMania 32 was just one move), so there were plenty of people that thought the 50-year-old Rock would have one more match in him. Apparently not since The Rock is unlikely to wrestle this year.

At the Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes punched his ticket to WrestleMania 39’s main event and an Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against Reigns. That is the match as long as Reigns can beat Sami Zayn at Elimination Chamber on February 18th in Sami’s hometown of Montreal.

In an interview with Alex McCarthy of The Daily Mail, Cody talked about how WWE doesn’t really need The Rock this year due to his story as well as The Bloodline angle involving Reigns, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso walking out of The Bloodline at the Royal Rumble and more.

“With all the respect in the world to one of the GOATs, The Rock, it looks like the options we have here within the roster are even better because of the stories that are happening.”

“One story about finishing something that started in 1978 – seven years before I was even born – and another story of really the tragedy of being welcomed into the Bloodline and then what you saw unfolds.”

Cody Rhodes that his eyes are squarely focused on the titles currently held by Roman Reigns.

“I think with the amount of time between now and WrestleMania, it’s important I keep my eyes squarely fixed on WrestleMania, squarely wrestling for the WWE Undisputed Championship and as you hinted that may not be against Roman Reigns.”

“Now I don’t know if anyone can beat Roman Reigns, I truly don’t, but for me, it’s about picking up the chip. I love the melodrama, I love the heaviness in these stories that develop in our industry, but I am very simply a man who’s looking for a belt.”

As he continued, Cody Rhodes mentioned what he has talked about many times in the past – winning the WWE Championship that his father Dusty and brother Dustin never got a chance to win.

“I’m looking for a championship title belt, the most important one in our world the biggest in all – not just in the WWE bubble but in all the bubbles – and be the first to say as a Rhodes I did it. And it wasn’t Dusty Rhodes and it wasn’t Dustin Rhodes – it was Cody Rhodes.”

On the January 30th edition of Raw, which was two days after his Royal Rumble win, Cody Rhodes picked up a victory over Finn Balor in the main event.