5-time WWE champion reacts to intense face-off between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes on SmackDown

WWE Superstars Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes shared the screen in an intense face-off on SmackDown this week. Following the show, former five-time Intercontinental Champion, Wade Barrett shared his honest reaction to the segment between the two long-time rivals.

The OTC and The American Nightmare met at Georgia Tech University's football field ahead of their highly anticipated tag team match against Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu of The Bloodline at Bad Blood. Reigns told the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion that he wanted to take down the Sikoa-led faction because they had taken Jimmy Uso and Paul Heyman away from him.

In response, Cody Rhodes asked one thing from the Samoan star: assurance that the latter will have his back at the upcoming premium live event on October 5, 2024. The former Big Dog agreed to The American Nightmare's condition.

The segment between the two WWE Superstars felt like a cinematic masterpiece as Roman Reigns declared that once his business with Bloodline is concluded, he would be coming for the World Championship currently held by Cody Rhodes. The Original Tribal Chief also mentioned that The American Nightmare was obstructing his path.

Taking to X (FKA Twitter), Wade Barrett expressed his excitement and admiration for the segment between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes on Friday Night SmackDown.

Check out the RAW commentator's tweet below:

"That Cody/Roman Scorsese deal is cool AF! Genuinely wowed. 🤯#Smackdown," he wrote.

Wrestling veteran criticizes WWE for Roman Reign-Cody Rhodes segment on SmackDown

Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell shared his two cents on why he didn't like the massive face-off between The OTC and The American Nightmare on the Georgia Tech football field.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell criticized WWE for the segment between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, stating that the elaborate setup, including walking out on the field, was unnecessary. The 74-year-old veteran argued that a simpler approach, such as meeting in a room, would have been sufficient. Mantell felt that the segment was overproduced and wasted time.

"Let me say one thing. Couldn't they have done this a lot more simpler? Just pull up to a building, go into a room, sit down at the table. No, they have to walk out on the field. You have Roman Reigns look around at the big stadium that he played in and it's Cody's town. I mean, they went out of their way to make this a big deal, and they did, kinda. But I think they had a lot of wasted time with what they produced."

Watch the video below:

It remains to be seen if The American Nightmare and The OTC will be on the same page at Bad Blood PLE against Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu.