In hindsight, WrestleMania 39 was a midpoint event in the development of Rhodes’ story. The Main Event loss raised the stakes for Reigns’ domination of WWE and further tested Rhodes’ resilience. Rhodes had won the respect and support of the WWE Universe but winning the championship would require more work. WrestleMania 39 launched a period of vulnerability for Rhodes that he would have to overcome before his next match with Reigns. Rhodes’ loss at WrestleMania 39 reinforced the long form nature of WWE storytelling: this signaled a genuine commitment to giving meaning to Rhodes’ and Reigns’ stories and the symbolic significance of the WWE Championship.
Serialized Storytelling
Beyond Reigns and Rhodes, the road to WrestleMania XL involved multiple interconnected stories, rivalries, and alliances that would complicate the narrative. WWE is a form of serialized storytelling told over two weekly shows – Raw and SmackDown (not including NXT) – and several ‘premium live events’ (PLEs) per year. WWE claims that Raw is the longest-running episodic series in the US, with SmackDown taking second place; the accuracy of these claims is debatable, but the significance of these shows compared to other long-running series is the lack of seasonal hiatuses or re-runs. With Raw and SmackDown, WWE produces new weekly content all year round.
WWE storytelling typically develops across these weekly shows and is punctuated with major rivalry matches in PLEs. For this reason, it is challenging to distil the extensive canvas of interrelated storytelling into this piece, but there are several key moments to highlight before Rhodes and Reigns meet again: Rhodes’ feud with Brock Lesnar, the fragmenting of ‘The Bloodline’, and the growing alliance of the babyface roster against ‘The Judgment Day’.
Brock Lesnar vs Cody Rhodes
Rhodes’ feud with Lesnar built Rhodes’ resilience and strength as a future champion. WrestleMania 39 proved that Rhodes did not yet have what it takes to defeat Reigns, and so defeating the greatest adversary of ‘The Tribal Chief’ would prove his might and provide a minor redemption for Rhodes’ loss at WrestleMania 39. On “Raw after Mania” (April 3, 2023), Lesnar was expected to join Rhodes in a tag match against Reigns and Solo Sikoa, but instead brutally attacked and shamed Rhodes. Rhodes’ weakened body splayed over ring stairs produced an image reminiscent of primitive gladiatorial combat (image 7).
