Everyone loves the outsider, the rebellious hero, but some men believe that they don’t deserve the respect they have not earned.
On one side of the ring, we have the Architect and the man who has been loyal to the WWE for a decade to this point, believing he deserves better than what he is receiving.
On the other side of the ring, we have the American Nightmare and the guy who placed all his chips on himself to leave the house that he built and create a new legacy, but one man has been standing in his way since the beginning.
This is the rivalry of Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins.
Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins – Gaining A Ticket To The Show of Shows
Seth Rollins has been featured in many big matches over the years at WrestleMania, including world title matches against Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, as well as show-stealing classics against Cesaro and others.
Despite this, The Visionary did not have a path to WrestleMania 38, even after he tried to beat Kevin Owens and AJ Styles in their respective spots on the 2022 Show of Shows.
After a pinfall loss to Styles on the March 23rd edition of Raw, Seth Rollins broke down, cutting a passionate promo on the unfairness of leaving him out of the biggest show of the year, emphasizing this by tearing up the ringside area.
This outrage caught the attention of Vince McMahon, who invited Rollins to a meeting on the following week’s Raw.
In said meeting, Mr. McMahon told Rollins that he would indeed feature in a match at WrestleMania. However, the identity of his opponent would not be revealed until they met at the show of shows. Seth Rollins now had his path but had a query: who was his opponent?
Cody Rhodes made his shocking departure from All Elite Wrestling on February 15th, 2022, despite being one of the founding fathers of the company and one of its top stars.
Both AEW and Cody Rhodes released statements thanking one another for their service however it was not clear what was next for Cody. The world of wrestling was not ready for the shockwaves he was about to create
Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins –
A WrestleMania Moment For The Ages
On Night 1 of WrestleMania 38 on April 2nd, Seth Rollins made his entrance in front of the 65,719 fans standing tall. There was a look of confidence on his face, despite his lack f knowledge on his opponent, until the lights went out and the iconic introduction came through.
‘‘Wrestling has more than one royal family’’
Rhodes showed how much he gained with his superstar entrance, but he also showed how much he had lost by taking down Rollins, following up with the signature cartwheel and Stardust taunt.
This proved that he was a new and improved wrestler, able to be the top star that he couldn’t be last time, but he had one obstacle in his way: Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins.
Both warriors went back at forth in a Wrestlemania classic, throwing huge moves at one another in order to prove to the fans who the better man was.
Despite all of Rollins’s hardest efforts, Rhodes managed to hit two huge Cross Rhodes, but before he hit the decisive third rolling cutter, he paid tribute to his father with the iconic jabs and Bionic Elbow for the victory.
Cody Rhodes stood tall over The Visionary on the biggest stage, paying tribute to his past and giving a glimpse into his future. The American Nightmare got the first victory here, but this feud is far from over.
Rhodes Faces The WrestleMania Backlash
On April 4th, on the Raw after WrestleMania 38, Cody Rhodes spoke his first words to the WWE Universe in 6 years, outlining his motivations and setting his ultimate intentions on the WWE Championship.
Seth Rollins was listening backstage and made his entrance in order to shake the hand of the man who defeated him at the Show Of Shows and signal his respect to the returning hero.
The following week, the two stars would make their rematch at WrestleMania Backlash official.
Their encounter at WrestleMania Backlash saw a much a more vicious approach from The Visionary, trying to beat some respect in the outlaw that Rollins believes is unfairly beloved by the fans.
The match bore many resemblances to the WrestleMania classic, both men going counter for counter with a high-risk offense. However, there were moments when the two gifted athletes resorted to simply trying to beat each other up.
Rollins seemed to have the win by catching Rhodes into a turnbuckle powerbomb, but before he could capitalize, Cody got the rollup and the three count, sneaking a second win over The Architect.
Seth Rollins was furious over the decision, screaming himself into a rage. This signaled one thing to the man who took the loss: this just became personal.
Seeking Vengeance
On the following night’s Raw, riding the momentum from his back-to-back wins over Rollins, Cody Rhodes challenged United States Champion Theory for his title. Just when it seemed that Rhodes had the win, Seth Rollins assaulted him, delivering a Blackout Stomp on the announce table.
Rhodes addressed the attack on the following week’s Raw, leading to an appearance on the TitanTron by Rollins. They engaged in a verbal back and forth, showing both men making this once-respectful feud more personal.
This led to both men agreeing on a match that would not only be fitting to finish off this epic trilogy but also creates an arena of punishment for Rhodes and Rollins to brutalize each other: Hell In A Cell.
On the May 23rd edition of Raw, Cody Rhodes faced off against The Miz, opening himself to another attack from the sly Seth Rollins.
However, The Visionary took a different approach, snatching Cody’s weight belt of a young fan and whipping Rhodes across the back, showing off his villainous side.
Despite all of this damage, Rhodes stayed true as a hero and handed the belt back to the fan in a sign of respect.
Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins
– Facing The Past
On May 30th, the Hell In A Cell go-home edition of Raw, Cody Rhodes sounded off to the crowd about the dangers of going into the cell. However, he guaranteed his own victory over Rollins inside the demonic structure.
Seth Rollins saw this as the moment to expose his reasoning for revenge over Cody Rhodes. He brought up how The American Nightmare left WWE in 2016 in an act of defiance, hinting at Cody’s time with BULLET CLUB.
Rollins then stated how he is preventing Cody from taking back the throne he once smashed up, referencing that infamous AEW entrance.
But more importantly, Seth Rollins said he sees it as unfair that his enemy is being lifted straight to the top, especially over The Visionary and so, he wants to do everything to ensure he stays on top.
This led to a brawl between the rivals in both the crowd and ringside, heating up the fire in the feud before they are subjected to Hell in a Cell.
Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins
– Braving It Through Hell & Fire
On June 5th, 2022, one day before his first-ever Hell in a Cell match, WWE announced that Cody Rhodes had suffered a tear in his pectoral muscle. With no change of the card announced, Rhodes’s condition for the PPV was unclear.
As of June 6th, 2022, the match seemed to be going ahead as normal. That night, Rollins came out dressed in Dusty Rhodes’ signature polka dots.
He said that he was out there in Dusty Dots not to get under Cody’s skin but in celebration of his own bond with the Rhodes family. After all, Seth was a staple of NXT during Dusty Rhodes’ run as general manager.
The American Dream was there to embrace Rollins after he became the inaugural NXT Champion. The Visionary wanted the WWE Universe to see that he had a bond with the Rhodes family, increasing the intensity.
Cody Rhodes was about to make an insane but heroic choice to wrestle through a horrific injury, which made Rollins cackle.
What followed was one of the most disturbing Hell In A Cell matches in the past 10 years. Rollins targeted Cody’s injured side, throwing him into the cell wall and assaulting him with a kendo stick.
He also wanted to embarrass Rhodes by putting on the iconic white entrance jacket and whipping him with the weight belt.
This fired up The American Nightmare to attack his rival, embracing the brutality of the stipulation and paying homage to his father by inviting Rollins to put on a bull rope, proceeding to hit him with a cowbell.
Rhodes then pulled out with another iconic Triple H move, bashing Rollins with a sledgehammer and gaining the victory, going 3-0 over Rollins in their trilogy. This was the first WWE main roster match to receive a 5-star Meltzer rating since 2011.
On June 7th 2022, Cody Rhodes came on Raw to discuss his injury and to sound off for the fans before he went away for surgery and recovery.
Before he went backstage, The Architect once again laid him out with a sledgehammer and tearing off his shirt to attack the injured pectoral once again.
This may signify that the rivalry is not over, but for now, Rhodes is on the road to recovery and Rollins is continuing to create havoc on Raw.
