Why was The Undertaker initially reluctant to help Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40? Exploring the details

The Undertaker was more or less the last part of the puzzle that helped Cody Rhodes beat Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40. Taker came in at a crucial moment in the match and took out The Rock to help Rhodes win his first World Title in WWE.

However, as per WWE CCO Triple H, The Deadman was initially reluctant to help Rhodes at WrestleMania 40. During an appearance on The Roommates Show, The Game spoke about Taker's reluctance when the idea was presented to him. HHH also mentioned The Rock had to make a call to get Undertaker on board.

The reason behind The Undertaker's initial reluctance to arrive and help Cody Rhodes came from the fact that he did not want to return with his hat and jacket. Taker was interested in coming out as himself and not as Undertaker because the character, along with the jacket and hat, had been retired.

While Undertaker's reluctance can be understood, his return was highly appreciated by the WWE Universe. As a matter of fact, The Undertaker received one of the loudest pops on the night he helped Cody Rhodes realize his dream.

---

The Undertaker recently claimed that Cody Rhodes losing at WrestleMania 39 was a great decision

Before Cody Rhodes won the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40, he lost a chance to win the same title a year before at WrestleMania 39 against Roman Reigns. When Rhodes lost that match at WrestleMania 39, it sent the WWE Universe into shock as many believed Rhodes deserved to win.

This also led to many people criticizing WWE's decision to book Cody to lose. However, as per The Undertaker, the Stamford-based promotion made a wise decision by booking The American Nightmare to lose that night. Taker made these comments on his Six Feet Under podcast.

The Deadman said:

"I mean, Roman was well on his way before Cody even got there. I mean, he already had a tremendous title run," Undertaker explained. "So I don't know that it means as much without Roman. I mean, Roman's top of the food chain...[It was] the greatest decision I think ever."

When analyzed, it seems like WWE's decision to book Cody Rhodes to lose to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 was indeed a good decision. That loss in 2023 only got more people on Rhodes' side, and it also added to the excitement when Rhodes finally won the title at WrestleMania 40.