The August 25 episode of WWE Raw held in Birmingham, UK, featured a surprising reaction from the British audience towards Cody Rhodes. Roman Reigns opened the show by demanding recognition from the fans and praising his cousin, Jey Uso. During his promo, Reigns referenced Cody Rhodes’ comments from their feud last year, which led to an unexpected loud booing from the crowd at Rhodes’ name. This stark reaction clearly showed that the British fans are not supportive of Rhodes, prompting a noticeably surprised “Interesting!” from Reigns.
Last year, Cody Rhodes, known as The American Nightmare, had predicted that Reigns would lose his pride, tribe, championship, and everything due to his ego and behavior. These events unfolded similarly when Seth Rollins and his faction stripped Reigns of his titles, reinforcing Rhodes’ earlier words. Despite being sidelined currently due to injury, Rhodes’ presence was strongly felt through the crowd’s reaction, while Reigns is gearing up to face Bronson Reed at the upcoming Clash in Paris event.
Cody Rhodes Expresses Desire for the Return of Intense WWE Match Types
Recently, Cody Rhodes shared his enthusiasm for reintroducing more violent match formats to WWE during an interview on WFAN. He expressed a keen interest in first blood matches, emphasizing the psychological element and the unique wrestling style they demand. Rhodes reminisced about how first blood matches offer creative ways for wrestlers to compete without serious harm.
“For me, I’d be interested in a first blood match. The psychology in how you do it and wrestle is really fun. I loved first blood matches. They left a lot of ways you can do it and keep guys whole. First blood is one. Dog collar, I don’t ever see happening because of the neck. Here is one that I’ve thought about. I don’t know what you’d name it because we have street fights.I don’t know what it would take, I don’t know what we would call it, I used to love when they would do the ropes in barbed wire. Dusty (Rhodes) and Tully (Blanchard). The danger. WWE has done the inferno match with the fire. The danger of getting close. It’s a competitor’s dream. That’s one I’ve thought about a lot. The barbed wire and putting it on the ropes.” —Cody Rhodes
He also mentioned the impracticality of dog collar matches due to the risk posed to the neck and pondered the revival of a match involving barbed wire on the ropes. Rhodes fondly recalled classic bouts involving barbed wire ropes, notably those featuring Dusty Rhodes and Tully Blanchard. He acknowledged WWE’s history with the inferno match, highlighting the thrill and danger such contests present. Rhodes described these intense match types as the dream of any competitor, underscoring his passion for the sport’s more hardcore elements.
Upcoming WWE Matches and Competitor Aspirations
While Cody Rhodes remains out of action due to injury, Roman Reigns is focused on his next challenge against Bronson Reed at the Clash in Paris. The tension within WWE continues to build as top stars and new contenders like Kyle Fletcher target high-profile opponents such as Kazuchika Okada. The British crowd’s reaction to Rhodes combined with his expressed desire to return to grittier match types suggests a potentially intense comeback that could reshape WWE’s match styles in the near future.
