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On the Road to WrestleMania 39, Cody Rhodes has frequently appeared on WWE SmackDown. He has participated in many physical and verbal altercations on the brand even though he is the highlight of Monday Night RAW. This situation has left fans confused as to which brand does he truly belongs to.
Three weeks ago, The American Nightmare got into a heated conversation with Roman Reigns on the topic of Dusty Rhodes’ legacy. He also fought dark matches against Finn Balor and Austin Theory after SmackDown. Speculation of the megastar having permanently shifted to the blue brand gained momentum when WWE announced a match for Cody last week.
Cody Rhodes will fight Ludwig Kaiser on tonight’s WWE SmackDown. Does this confirm his shift to the blue brand? The answer is no. He has been a part of the RAW brand since returning to WWE last year, with his former rival being Seth Rollins. The company has not announced any changes to his brand status.
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The winner of the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble is only appearing on SmackDown to facilitate his storyline with Roman Reigns. Due to their lack of history, both superstars are paying visits to rival brands. They have respected each other so far by not engaging in anything physical in the lead-up to their Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39.
This may change soon, though. Provided that Cody Rhodes was booked to fight Kaiser without any rhyme or reason, something extra could be planned for the episode. A post-match beatdown by The Bloodline to soften the challenger before 'Mania is a logical scenario.
Cody Rhodes was apprehensive of talking about Dusty Rhodes with Roman Reigns on WWE SmackDown
Dusty Rhodes wished he could see the WWE Title around Cody’s waist. Unfortunately, he passed away before his son could achieve the feat. The American Nightmare has been on the sole mission of capturing the gold by any means necessary to honor his father’s legacy.
Cody Rhodes' obsession with honoring his late father is a huge part of his rampaging run in WWE. His rivals often call him out for it. Roman Reigns was no exception, as he was mentored by Dusty. Although Cody was hesitant on talking about the overused topic of the Rhodes legacy, he gave the green light to Roman for the March 3 SmackDown segment.
“And then those nights when I make it clear I'm not gonna talk about Dusty at all is the night that the other guy talks about Dusty. It's one of those where just recently with Roman I wasn't really interested in the idea of, 'We're gonna converse on my father,' but he has a very unique relationship, and had a very unique relationship, with my father, so he's the one who took it up there."
The build-up to Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes has garnered positive responses from the WWE Universe. Time will tell whether the WrestleMania 39 showdown lives up to the high expectations.
