What were WWE's original plans for Cody Rhodes after Royal Rumble? Exploring potential swerve

It's been a wild year for Cody Rhodes already, and we are just two months in. The American Nightmare went from winning the Royal Rumble and challenging Roman Reigns to giving The Rock his spot on the Grandest Stage, to going over The Great One's head to confirm his match with The Tribal Chief at WrestleMania 40.

Perhaps even the term "wild" is a bit of an understatement. But, what if he had avoided all that? After all, WWE did have other plans for him after his Royal Rumble win.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE already had plans in motion for Cody Rhodes if he and the WWE Universe had accepted The Rock vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. Meltzer reported that Rhodes was told on the night of the Rumble, that the plan to finish his story in Philadelphia wasn't going to happen, but his clash against Reigns would occur later.

That's right, the company planned on going ahead with the so-called "greatest match in WrestleMania history", but still planned on having The American Nightmare face The Head of the Table, only at a later date. Meltzer also explained that the build-up to the match between Reigns and Rhodes was done not to bait the audience and swerve at the last minute, but rather to build for the match they had planned for later.

"He was also told that they would be going to Reigns against him later so all the post-match stuff building that match wasn’t there to swerve people as much a build a later match," wrote Meltzer [H/T: TJR Wrestling]

It certainly would have been interesting to see what WWE had in mind. Perhaps Cody Rhodes would have finished his story at SummerSlam? Fortunately, neither he nor the WWE Universe has to worry about that, because regardless of the outcome it will likely come to an end at WrestleMania 40.

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Cody Rhodes will need all the help he can get if he wants to finish his story

Cody Rhodes fought the system and managed to get his match at WrestleMania 40 with the help of the WWE Universe. But, the hard Road to WrestleMania has just begun for The American Nightmare. After all, Roman Reigns isn't the only one he has to worry about at The Showcase of the Immortals.

Having recently brought his cousin, The Rock into the fold that is The Bloodline, Reigns has an army of sorts on his side. He and The People's Champ aside, the threat of Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso is also looming. With that in mind, there can be no denying that Cody Rhodes is in dire need of support. Fortunately, he has one reliable ally in World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins.

One thing is for certain the main event of WrestleMania is bound to be entertaining. Win or lose, Rhodes will make history once he steps into the ring at Lincoln Financial Field.

Do you think Cody Rhodes has what it takes to beat Roman Reigns? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.