Why Cody Rhodes' Loss To Brock Lesnar Is Exactly What The American Nightmare Needed At WWE Night Of

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Until Night of Champions, Cody Rhodes' only WWE loss since his return came at the hands of Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 39. That all changed when The American Nightmare lost to Brock Lesnar in Saudi Arabia. You could look at this as a bad loss for Rhodes, one that further diminishes him after already failing at WrestleMania, however, it looks like something WWE did to purposely build Cody up even further to be the face of WWE and the one who will end the Tribal Chief's reign at some point.

Cody Rhodes Was Quickly Pushed To The Top Of WWE

When Cody Rhodes made his WWE comeback at WrestleMania 38 last year he was treated like a returning hero, which was the exact opposite of how the AEW crowd was treating him during the end of his run there. Fans immediately accepted him and WWE did as well with Rhodes beating Seth Rollins every time in a series of matches. The comeback quickly ended though when Rhodes tore his pectoral muscle, putting him on the shelf for many months.

At the 2023 Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes made his return from injury and predictably won the Rumble to earn his shot against Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The only issue was how Rhodes won, as he came in at number 30 and didn't have to do much to get the victory. There was a risk in how WWE was booking Rhodes, with everything, minus the injury, going so easy for him. Some worried if the crowd would start to turn against him in favor of Sami Zayn, but thankfully the fans loved him as much as ever.

RELATED: Why Cody Rhodes Was A Good Men's 2023 Royal Rumble Winner (& 5 Better Options)

Many Think WWE Wants Cody Rhodes To Earn His Role As The Man Who Topples Roman Reigns

Going into WrestleMania 39, it seemed a near certainty that Cody Rhodes was going to be the one to finally beat Roman Reigns and end his two-and-a-half year run on top. Instead, Rhodes surprisingly lost. Fans were livid. This was Cody's best shot and it made perfect sense for him to win. Having him lose would destroy his upward trajectory and star power. It hasn't though. The cheers for Rhodes may have even got louder, with the "Woah" fans shout during his entrance reaching intense levels.

Many were upset with Cody losing, but others were in favor of it, including "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who thought it was the right choice at the time. Even Cody's own brother, Dustin, told Busted Open Radio, "They are making him pay for it now, they are making him earn it and I like that, I do. I like that because once you put the title on him, where are you going?" (h/t Wrestling Observer)

That's an argument even the biggest Cody fans have begrudgingly accepted. To have Rhodes win the title so quickly, without ever losing, without ever experiencing adversity, may have been too fast. If Cody had beaten Roman it would have been a classic moment, but where do you go in the immediate aftermath?

RELATED: WWE Winner Of the Week: WWE Perfectly Building Cody Rhodes As The Anti-Roman Reigns

A Loss To Brock Lesnar Actually Helps Cody Rhodes' Character

The night after WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes was attacked by Brock Lesnar on Raw. Some worried that Rhodes would be fed to The Beast. A loss to Lesnar arguably would have destroyed Rhodes' momentum completely. Instead, Cody beat Brock Lesnar at Backlash in Puerto Rico. His story to the top continued. The feud between Rhodes and Lesnar wasn't over, however, with Lesnar attacking Rhodes again, and then "breaking" his arm before their second match at Night of Champions.

WWE purposely stacked the odds against Rhodes, making it impossible for him to win. If Rhodes had overcome all of that and beat Lesnar again, it would have risked turning him into a John Cena and babyface era Roman Reigns like Superman. That was destructive for Reigns and would have been for Cody Rhodes as well. Our heroes first need to fail before they can be victorious. It's how it goes in movies. Even Superman has to get knocked down in the second act before he can win at the end. If Superman just destroys everyone without ever failing, then why should we care about him?

Cody Rhodes losing to Brock Lesnar is just what he needed to keep him a megastar. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin did it best against Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13, but it's been done so many times before, to have the strong hero injured but refusing to tap out. They technically lose by passing out from the pain, but they remain strong by not giving up.

This loss is the next step for Cody Rhodes on his way to get a rematch with Reigns in which he conquers The Tribal Chief. To win, he first must suffer. You can argue that Rhodes has suffered enough. From Stardust, to booing AEW fans, to a torn pec, just how much more adversity does Cody need? Only WWE knows when Rhodes will have truly proven himself, but when that time comes, get ready for history to happen and for a 1,000 day and counting reign to come to an end at the hands of The American Nightmare.

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