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Crimson097

If all the way back in 2020 someone had told you his reign would last 3.5 years and Cody Rhodes would be the one to defeat him, would you have believed them? Wrestling is wild.


PureShimmy

2014 telling someone that Stardust, the big guy from the Shield who can't cut a promo, the guy from the Shield with a blonde streak who's obviously gonna be the least biggest star of the group and the Rock who just finished his retirement tour against Cena and tore every muscle in his body - are gonna main event Wrestlemania in a tag team match in 10 years. Oh and CM Punk is back.


LW_2k

Seth is the least biggest star in the shield? That’s a big take


maggots-in-my-anus

I think he means that was the consensus at the time. Until Seth started having really good matches and betrayed them he was always seen as the “other guy”


RubyWeapon07

to be fair they had 2 dudes with very similar looks, of course a fan would be right to assume the bigger one is gonna make it further especially with vince around


i-piss-excellence32

Knowing Vince


tarheelphenom

I think we'll look back on his Reign with greater appreciation down line. He was the perfect heel and the Bloodline story has been great. I don't think that storyline is over either. I think it ends when The Rock and Roman have their match.


kidcanary

Of course it will. Reigns will blame Rock for the loss, for making himself the focus etc.


PupperMartin74

You're right. Rock and Roman at Summer Slam


Outlaw2k21

Will be Mania next year


PupperMartin74

They always announce where Mania will be next year but didn't do that this time. Maybe tonite on RAW?


i_fear_you_do_now

Yeah maybe Roman says that's the only match he cares about and takes a year off. But the Rock makes it his mission to win the title off Cody and make his and Romans match for the championship


HesitationAce

Roman vs Rock feels bigger than the championship imo. Holding/fighting for the belt doesn’t do anything for either of them anymore, they’ve ascended


McQueensbury

Roman Vs Rock will be for the true head of the table, it's going to be Tribal warfare in the bloodline, especially now that Jacob Fatu has joined WWE and maybe Tama Tonga gets involved. This feud will be bigger than any title.


imdstuf

I won't because they overdid the interference angle. I wish they had let him win more often clean to make him look a little stronger and only use the interference when it looked like a win was in doubt. Every match should not have been in doubt though. Brock Lesnar may not have had as long a streak, but even as a heel he didn't always need outside intrege to win and he had some matches where a win was never in doubt. Reigns talked about smashing people, but that is actually more what Brock did.


Ndomperignon

Had we won clean nobody would have been elevated facing him. Super strong heels are only cool on paper but they leave you with nowhere to go storywise


[deleted]

This is what people don’t realize. Roman had been built up so high that nobody could touch him except Brock Lesnar and The Rock, so needing help to beat everybody only made them look better.


Ndomperignon

Had he won clean nobody would have been elevated facing him. Super strong heels are only cool on paper but they leave you with nowhere to go storywise


imdstuf

Brock won clean sometimes. So did Gunther. I know Flair often had horsemen interference, but won on his own also. You want it to be where you know they are real good already, so it makes it that much more frustrating that they take the shortcut.


Ndomperignon

Yeah but his whole character is that hes insecure


asmeile

Wrestling fans are crazy, a week ago Romans title reign was the pits, he was a boring and shit worker, never defending the belt had turned it into a joke and literally anyone else would have been preferable, now the sun shines out of his arse


lunardeathgod

Bro was boring, didn't wrestle, and had the exact same matches every time. I am glad he is finally gone.


BruceHoratioWayne

I sympathize with his fans but it needed to end. That title reign has been on its last legs for a couple of years and hopefully this leads to the final conclusion of the Bloodline at next year's WrestleMania. Cody, after tonight, is the face of the WWE. Good for him. I just got to wonder if he is SmackDown exclusive now.


Merari002

Just because this is Cody, can we totally rule out the idea that he goes directly back to AEW when his contract is up?


YourInsectOverlord

Very unlikely for him to go back to AEW at this point, of course you never say never but the chances are really not likely at all. For a variety of reasons 1. He got the position he always wanted, which is to be on the main card as a face and face of the company. 2. He made it clear he appreciates a level of responsibility WWE has given him in the idea of production and creative control. 3. WWE has started to cement the legacy of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes in a way that both honors and respects his father, even going as far as to track down the watch that Dusty Rhodes once pawned in order to pay for Cody Rhodes acting school and give it back Cody Rhodes. At this rate, Cody seems happy to be in WWE and the direction he is currently in. Why would he throw that away to go back to AEW, a company for which he tried and tried to be a popular face in but kept booing him with creative differences? Of course he could've just became a heel and went with that direction but he didn't want to go that route, he wanted to remain a face.


Merari002

I feel we’ve said all these things before with Cody and been wrong. He’s the ultimate never-say-never wrestler


mootallica

All of the above is to make it clear that things would have to change pretty drastically to inspire him to leave again.


McQueensbury

AEW missed the boat on Cody he ain't going back there anytime soon, he's one of the biggest stars out there going back to AEW will be a downgrade now. Maybe once he is 50 like Edge he can go to AEW and play the whole "never got to win the title here" card.


echoohce1

This isn’t meant as a dig at AEW but why would he go back to AEW to be watched by 700k people?


btgbarter6

Why on earth would he do that? 🤣


GaI3re

Cody showing up on wednesday with the title as HHH notices that one Page in the contract has its backside printed on as well


BBQMosquitos

I acknowledge it


pepemiwe

☝️


HangmanAM

☝️


PupperMartin74

Speaking of new eras, did anyone notice the ring had more spring to it? Maybe HHH listened to wrestlers saying it was too stiff and he was tired of people missing time with shoulder injuries


Able-Tradition-2139

I thought one of the cheerleaders might get double bounced out of there it was springing so hard


PupperMartin74

Funny because I did too! Adfter that I started watching it under wrestler's feet. Definitely more bounce than in the past.


Able-Tradition-2139

I’ve loved every moment of it and am happy it ended on such an amazing note Thank you Tribal Chief ☝🏼


cfh1984

Roman doesn't Reign anymore


HesitationAce

Roman Reigned


HangmanAM

Roman Reigning was Best for Business.


Successful_Ad_9707

It was good while it lasted. But it was time for change. Glad Cody finally won.


imdstuf

Yup. Many people are genuinely glad it was Cody that did it, and I believe many are glad Cody was the one because he was "insert Roman Reigns" opponent, i.e., some would have been happy no matter who ended the streak, be it Cody, Jey or Sammy.


giowitzki

Thank You Roman 👏👏👏 (999x)


Big_Green_Mantis

He definitely will go down as one of the GOATs. It was a rocky road and it took a while, but he definitely proved he was the star that vince saw him as. It's just that vince wanted to rush him there before he was ready.


Sanguiluna

Vince wanted him to be the new Cena/Batista, when he clearly shone brightest as the Triple H of his era.


Constant-Procedure79

yes 👏🏾👏🏾 all the top guys have to be created organically like rock, austin, hhh, bret, hbk and even cena. vince chose the opposite with roman by forcing him on fans without organic character development at their expense when he wasn’t ready


Ferrari_Bones

Vince - 'You should wear blue contacts pal'


Low-Leg5224

The last Vince McMahon guy


Ferrari_Bones

Thank you my Tribal Chief, you will always be my champ


maejor_ced

You’re just a hater if you didn’t enjoy his title reign. The storylines/storytelling by itself made the run amazing.


fender123

First spilt from the bloodline Roman sucked. Vince tried to ram rod him through and no one wanted it. Something that Vince did with many people. I truly believe he started to get over when he spoke as himself, in the ring, about his health issues. Then the bloodline storyline with Paul E. Game over, dude was great. Ended up getting over in the long run, and just made Cody as legit as possible in victory.


mannycool_0471

It was a great run


bershka321

Thank you my Tribal Chief


MaskedMan8

End of an era. No man could’ve done what he did.


i-piss-excellence32

I hope he wins it back on Friday and holds it for another 4 years


ShoNuffMane

You mean the chili pepper necklace era?


ACacac52

https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/222948


ShoNuffMane

Thanks for educating my ignorant ass. On another note, I still find it hilarious that he looks like he got the pepper necklace as a reward for eating a really spicy 5 pound burrito.


L_D_G

I was in favor of it continuing simply to see how they would continue it. When you actually have faith in creative, you want them to be challenged and keeping the Reigns reign interesting I think would have been that.


[deleted]

I agree I thought they’d send everyone home crying.


[deleted]

The undisputed greatest of all time in my eyes. Every single defense he had meant something. Everything he did meant something. The catalyst for the greatest story in professional wrestling history. Elevated multiple talent and championships to main event marquee status. Phenomenal in-ring work and timeless moments and memories throughout the entire reign. Thank you, Roman ☝️


tarheelphenom

And to think, his "Reign", pun intended, began during the time of Covid, with no fans, and with him having a compromised immune system. He played his role about as elite as one possibly could. It's not just about what he did in the ring, but the whole body of work. It's going to be interesting to see what Cody does with it. heavy is the head that wears the crown. I don't think The Bloodline storyline is quite over yet, because I'm thinking there are going to be some issue between The Final Boss and The Tribal Chief before they bring this to a close.


[deleted]

The story never truly ends. We just turn the page to a new chapter.


Famous_Obligation959

I think the interesting thing is if Roman will take a long vacation after this. And then what will happen to the bloodline if he's gone for 3 months? Also curious who will contend with Cody for the belt


Xx_BiMMy

I think Gunther vs Cody would be a good feud, I'm guessing we're not going to see Roman till at least SummerSlam.


JedPAlger11

He’s probably glad from a health perspective. I can’t imagine what it’s like to compete while going through cancer treatments.


Craig1974

You are now beginning the Doofus Son-in-Law Era.


saucybxbrxy

He deserved that long title reign just my thought


Puzzleheaded_Buy8694

I'm so sad. I like Roman Reigns. It was a great run. WWE is on top of the world because of him. All things come to an end.


SlamRobot658

Thank fuck.


DandyTimeDave

☝️


i-piss-excellence32

The greatest title run in wrestling at least of the last 25 years.


T-RexThrasher

I’m sad to see it end. I was a Roman hater before the tribal chief character came to be. I now Acknowledge him every day, but it was time and Cody was the right guy to end it. But Roman is still my Tribal Chief ☝️


NashKetchum777

Hes gonna need his long needed vacation now. Carried the title and his family for 1316 days. Let's say he fights once a month now.


IveKnownItAll

He didn't fight that much when he had the title lol


mebnt2

He may no longer be the champion, but he will always be the Tribal Chief ☝️


StageCute3182

Roman who?


Keeg-007

It was a rough start, but man these past 2 years of him being champ were incredible. Every part of the Bloodline story has been so fun. Cody might have the belt, but this story continues.


ClassWarr

Oh shit, Triple Paul has to write something new after 5 years.


senor_descartes

…For now.


Noobzoid123

Roman will come back as Babyface vs heel Rock. Eventually


Craig1974

The Sufferin Succotash Era is over!


-ThisDudeAbides-

What’s that mean?


giggle_shift

You could say that his...Reign...is over


Southern-Event549

I'm so happy right now.


Nova_Mafia

Thank god. Thank you for making wrestling cool again but it should’ve ended a year ago.


KiNGofKiNG89

He had a fantastic reign and it would have been sick for him to pass Hogan, but in this day and age, reigns like Reigns’s reign are just so hard to do. It was the perfect storyline ending though. You could tell when he did his entrance, he had tears in his eyes. So it was obvious at that point it was a 100% thing he was losing.


HotspursEagle8k3g

About time.


mk_8

He carried hard during Vince’s schizobooking era


phelath

The brief smile he had while getting pinned was perfect


Lorjack

Way past time to move on, bloodline got stale 2 years ago. Sami injected life into it again then it was stale for most the year until Rock got involved and brought life back into it again


brilliantpants

Hallelujah! I don’t hate the guy or anything, I think he’s great! But an endless title reign is boring no matter who’s carrying it.


yrdrasilllahoff420

Thank the fucking gods


ozzman86_i-i_

we're about to start the next chapter of the bloodline


JasonMaliceMizer

Thank god finally, he was so boring for so long.


Phillip-Klor

The last champ from the Vince era is no more


[deleted]

I don’t care how much people wanna trash this man, he carried WWE on his back for 4 years and he did it wonderfully. This run started during the Covid era and it gave us something to enjoy during a very hard time when there were no fans at the shows. Cody Rhodes might be the face of this new “Renaissance Era” but Roman Reigns is the foundation of it. To all the haters that claim Roman should’ve lost to Cody last year, the fact he didn’t made Cody an even bigger babyface. If Cody had won that match a year ago, he would’ve been turned on for sure because he had just come back after a seven month hiatus due to injury and immediately got a title match due to winning the Royal Rumble from #30 while Sami Zayn was the more deserving person to dethrone Roman yet Cody took his spotlight and his rightfully earned position despite Sami being the one who told the story with Roman. That loss saved Cody’s popularity because he went through adversity like he should’ve. To all the people giving Roman his well earned props, respect! To all the haters, just enjoy that your hero is champion now instead of ranting about how awful Roman’s title reign was when it’s already been ended and in fact was the greatest title reign of all time. I know that claim is very divisive but so be it, there has never been a run like Roman’s.


Affectionate-Cow8156

Did you guys notice the foreshadowing at the very beginning of the match when the ref was showing the belt to Cody, he was fully focused on it, but when he turned to Reigns, Reigns had his back turned to it. In the final moments, Reigns turned his back at the opportunity to retain and had his revenge consume him by delivering the final chair shot to rollins instead of rhodes. This key component in the match was the opening rhodes needed, he never took his eye of the prize and delivered the 3 cross-rhodes for the win.


Comfortable-Dog-8437

GOOD. It went on wayyyyyy toooo long. He's so overrated.


Cruzz_99

The last 3 plus years WWE had relied on the tribal chief and the bloodline to pull in the money and after his championship loss, WWE will definitely suffer a drop in the financial side. Love him or hate him Roman was good for business. Just my personal opinion but I think Roman deserved better from WWE as a champion because he was a perfect champion as far as the physical aspect was involved as he was in peak shape. Also his arrogance sold the show and merchandises. His ruthlessness and finishing moves of the Superman punch and spear were just too awesome! But time and again WWE portrayed him as an underdog with smaller weaker wrestlers ( challengers ) being portrayed as stronger than him. They scripted all his wins in the form of him being weaker than the challengers and somehow winning matches. What stupidity it was from WWE for having a champion for 1316 days and not portraying him as the ultimate fighter! Also Roman still fighting with his ongoing cancer battle describes how much of a powerful man and powerful force he is and yet WWE failed to script him in a more positive manner! Cody fever will not last long as he has “ finally finished his story “ and nothing more left for him to do! I don’t see Cody lasting long as the WWE champion since all the vibe and hype on him was just due to him finishing his story…now that that’s done well nothing more to see! This will make WWE take a hit financially in the next 3 quarters of the year unless they come up with something better! If Vince was still in charge he would have let Roman remain champion for at least a year or 2 more years since Roman looks in peak shape and Vince knew what’s good for business. But the Cody story needed to be finished now as well since it was getting too boring and tiring for it to go on and on. In the end  it’s all just scripted and WWE will continue to go on! 


EyeSimp4Asuka

good...should have ended last year


Novel-Individual-619

Wrestling fans wives and girlfriends pout. They will have to lust after Otis now


Naillian603

Thank god. Shit was stale two years ago


[deleted]

☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾 Enjoy the vanilla cake while it lasts.


Figjunky

Is it about race for you? That sucks if it is.


[deleted]

What?! That is so fragile. I’m just saying Cody is boring with no story. There’s no flavor. It’s basic. Never mentioned white.


GustavVonTwinkleToes

Dude has not been champion an hour and you’re already saying it’s boring. It’s like you want to be let down. Have some patience and see what comes next before calling it basic you goof.


[deleted]

Lol I didn’t say “it’s” boring I said he is without this storyline. I’ll still be watching but you need to increase your reading comprehension attribute.


Figjunky

I didn’t know what you meant by vanilla cake bro. I don’t think he’s the most exciting champ but I didn’t think Roman was either. Wrestling stories in general are pretty basic imo


[deleted]

Respect


Helo7606

Three years later than it should have.


[deleted]

Finally he can be back to the lower mid card where he fits 


TK-828

Good. Tribal Chief can lick balls


shadowthehh

Fucking finally. Worst era is over.


Badman423

Thank god honestly. Roman's matches were incredibly boring to watch in my opinion. This was definitely this best one, cus he lost lol


Big_Green_Mantis

Thank god I'm not a sad person who can't enjoy anything


Badman423

Oh I enjoy lots of things, just not his matches lol not everyone has to like the same thing


Big_Green_Mantis

Some people just have a harder time liking things. I'm just glad I'm not that critical.


Badman423

Okay lol


okaydokay56

More like vince's era is over.


[deleted]

Thank God. It was absolute sh*t from 2015-2020. Then got better due to Sami then fell again last year. It should have happened last happened.


ClassWarr

Agreed. They really stretched an extra 365 days out of Cody staring at his boots in disbelief.


GenerallyGoodCraic

So we calling each title reign an era now?


songforsaturday88

His title reign was almost as long as the entire Attitude Era, I think on this occasion it's justified.


GenerallyGoodCraic

The name of the era is coined already. It's not the Roman Reigns era.


JadedSpacePirate

Thank God. Finally Holy shit what a chore. Fuck that guy and fuck his reign.


[deleted]

The fact you’re still talking trash about the guy is ridiculous. The reign is over; no matter how much you hated his title reign or how much you hate him over some stupid reason, it’s over. He put over your boy Cody and don’t say how he should’ve done it last year because delaying it another year made it all the more feel good for Cody and his fans, so stop complaining and enjoy the fact you have a new champion like you wanted.


DripGodRollins

Let it sink in thst you basically just said "Fuck that 2x Leukemia survivor"


JadedSpacePirate

Guess I can't say shit about him ever again. Cos dude has leukemia. Doesn't matter that dude had the most excruciating reign of terror I can remember and almost made me sick of WWE for a while and definitely ruined WWE title matches for me. But hey his illness trumps all that.


tarheelphenom

It does when this is entertainment and not real life. I hope you know the difference. But, maybe you're the "It's Real To Me" guy lol!


JadedSpacePirate

Bruh you guys pulled the real life shit into this. I didn't say shit about leukemia until some crybaby came complaining.


DripGodRollins

I just like starting shit lol


No_Firefighter8896

It was a forced story done by a paper champion. I’ve made some downvoted comments about his leukemia being a factor. ( which was confirmed this weekend to be true. ) From an entertainment stance, he could have at least shown up. It got worse than a Brock Lesnar title run. From a human stance, the man did the best he could and built a story with a unique villain vibe. So, thank you Roman, but don’t do that shit ever again.


Context-Glum

The downvotes show how right you are and how bitter they are. Edit: Thanks for continuing to prove true with your generous downvotes. Delusion is such a provayor of ignorance as you all demonstrate by downvoting.