3 Reasons why Cody Rhodes chose to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40

During the closing moments of the WrestleMania Kickoff event, Cody Rhodes made an earth-shaking decision when he mentioned that he would challenge Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40.

During the previous episode of SmackDown, Cody himself declared that he would not finish his story at WrestleMania this year, which makes his decision in this event something that fans didn't expect.

However, after laying down the challenge, things went wild when Rhodes took shots at the Samoan family, which led to The Rock confronting The American Nightmare and delivering him a slap on his face. Later, Triple H officially announced Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns as the main event of WrestleMania 40 through his social media platform.

With that said, let's discuss three reasons why the 2024 Men's Rumble winner chose to face the Tribal Chief at WrestleMania 40.

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#3. Cody Rhodes wants to finish his story

One of the biggest reasons why The American Nightmare challenged Roman Reigns for WrestleMania 40 might be to simply Finish his Story. Last year, Cody Rhodes won the Royal Rumble match and challenged Reigns at WrestleMania 39. However, things didn't unfold the way Rhodes wanted as he lost against the Tribal Chief after an interference from The Bloodline.

Even during this press conference event, Dusty's son revealed that he had a great conversation with The Rock, despite this, he now decides to challenge the Tribal Chief.

So, it seems clear that Rhodes once again amended his plans and eventually decided to challenge Roman to finish his story.

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#2. Due to 'WE Want Cody' massive trend

Another major reason behind this unexpected decision might be influenced due to the #WeWantCody massive trend since the last SmackDown. Fans started this hashtag trend as they believe that The People's Champion has taken the spot, which is well deserved by Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40.

This trend even started showing its effect in the venue, where fans started giving negative reactions to the Rock's video packages and graphics. During the latest episode of Monday Night RAW, Cody Rhodes received a heartwarming response from the fans, but on the other hand, the show also witnessed so many negative chants for The People's Champion despite his absence.

Also, in the WrestleMania Kickoff event, The Great One faced a major backlash from fans, which many believe will also lead to the heel turn of The Rock in the near future.

So it seems like this huge social media trend might also played a pivotal role in Cody challenging Roman Reigns.

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#1. To set up Roman Reigns vs. The Rock after WrestleMania

Roman Reigns vs. The Rock is the original match, which many believe was set to headline this year's WrestleMania before Cody Rhodes challenged The Tribal Chief. However, the decision of Cody clashing against Roman in a rematch might be done to set up a match between these two gigantic Samoans.

The potential scenario that might unfold could see The Head of the Table losing his Undisputed Universal title at WrestleMania 40 against The American Nightmare. This might lead to The Rock snapping on Reigns in the post-match attack, stating that he downs the Samoan's reputation in this business.

This might eventually set up a Roman Reigns vs. The Rock match later down this year.