The Undertaker has weighed in on the developments following Cody Rhodes’ win at the Royal Rumble. The Deadman retired from professional wrestling in 2020. However, he has two decades’ worth of experience inside the ring to know that Rhodes’s initial decision to give up his WrestleMania main event came from the top. He revealed that his heart sank for the wrestler when he was not allowed to complete his story.
However, new events have unfolded since The Undertaker openly showed his support for Rhodes. After The Rock almost believed he would get the opportunity to fight Roman Reigns in WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes took back his offer during the WrestleMania 40 kickoff press conference.
The Undertaker Publicly Supports Cody Rhodes
The Undertaker, real name Mark Calaway, has won the World Championship on seven occasions and even performed in dozens of WrestleMania. However, Calaway has experienced title reigns slipping away from his hands due to the creative decisions of WWE. Appearing in his podcast, Six Feet Under, Calaway discussed wrestling during his time and in modern times.
While on the podcast, Calaway commented on Cody Rhodes‘ decision to pass off his expected WrestleMania match with Roman Reigns to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The Undertaker shared that he was so invested in Rhodes’s promo, but when the Royal Rumble champion announced giving up the main event match, Calaway’s heart sank.
Calaway understood that bringing in Johnson and having him fight with Roman Reigns was good for business for the WWE. He shared with Six Feet Under:
“I wanted to hear Cody’s promo. It was great. It was so good, and I was so invested. When he said, ‘… just not at WrestleMania,’ my freaking heart sunk into my stomach because I knew at that moment what was about to happen. Believe me, money-wise, having The Rock at WrestleMania, brother, come on, against Roman, who has been Champion for what, 13 years now? Samoan versus Samoan. It’s huge, and it is what it is.”
The Undertaker further shared that he, too, had to go through a similar situation a few times in his career. He appreciated how Rhodes handled the entire situation like a “champ.” Calaway felt that Rhodes delivered the promo in a professional manner. Calaway shared:
“Knowing and being in that situation a couple of times myself during my career, for Cody to go out and to deliver the promo that he delivered last night, I felt for him. I felt that not in my stomach because, like I said, I had been there before, and he did it like a champ. He did it so professionally.”
Calaway is the longest-tenured WWE wrestler in the company’s history, working for 30 years. For his contributions to sports and entertainment, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022. He was once the focal point of WrestleMania, best known for The Streak, a series of 21 straight victories.
It’s Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns At WrestleMania
During the WrestleMania 40 kickoff press conference, Cody Rhodes decided to go back on his word to The Rock and chose to fight Roman Reigns. The Rock was angered by this revelation and controversially slapped Rhodes at the event. Dwayne Johnson’s slap received some heat from the wrestling community.
According to the current storyline, Rhodes insulted The Bloodline, and The Rock is expected to be on the sidelines for the match between Rhodes and Reigns. It appears that the money will flow in despite Johnson not getting the match he desired. While announcing the WrestleMania main event, Triple H gave a clear warning to Johnson after his controversial slap.
The two-night event of WrestleMania 40 will take place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on April 6 and 7, 2024.
