Vince McMahon reportedly did not overrule Triple H on Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania 39 loss.
Just under two weeks ago, Cody Rhodes overcame Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 40 to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, and it was the culmination of a rivalry which spanned two years. In truth, most people expected ‘The American Nightmare’ to beat ‘The Tribal Chief’ one year earlier, with Reigns’ win going down as one of the most surprising in recent memory, and more has now come out regarding the original plan and what led up to Rhodes’ shocking loss.
Per Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it’s reported that Rhodes was initially slated to win the championship at ‘Mania in 2023, with both Vince McMahon and Paul Levesque on board with the title switch. However, when the debate happened and the idea emerged of waiting a year, it was importantly noted that both McMahon and Levesque were in agreement, with it specifically not being a case of the 78-year-old forcing an overrule.
“It is true that the original plan last year was for Rhodes to win. Both McMahon and Levesque were on board with the return from pec surgery and the title win, after the injury telling a story not altogether different from the HHH return from quad surgery and title win at the 2002 Mania. A lot happened behind the scenes, with the key points being argued and eventually agreed by all parties it would be stronger a year later. It was also argued that keeping Reigns as champion would open up a key storyline to make Jey Uso into a major singles star and merchandise draw as a babyface. While Vince did make the call, Levesque was on board with the call and there were no significant issues with the decision. It was said that it was absolutely not Vince overruling Levesque and forcing the decision.”
-Dave Meltzer
It’s said that the decision was partially made as it would help Jey Uso become a singles star, which is reflected in his pinfall victory over Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank during the ‘Bloodline Civil War’ tag match. He also played a key part in Rhodes’ eventual title win, taking out his brother Jimmy in a chaotic match.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the original plan for WrestleMania 39 as soon as we hear more.
