Cody Rhodes Apologizes For WWE RAW Segment

As Cody Rhodes gets closer and closer to his WrestleMania showdown with Roman Reigns, tempers have started to flare — and last night, the American Nightmare lost his cool on Monday Night RAW.

After entering the ring brandishing a microphone, Cody Rhodes could barely get one word in before he was interrupted by the Wise Man himself on the big screen. Draped in the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship (and sporting a neck brace courtesy of Kevin Owens at Elimination Chamber), Paul Heyman realized he had Cody’s undivided attention.

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In true Heyman fashion, he went for the jugular:

Paul Heyman’s words clearly affected Cody — it was the first time in a long time that he was clearly thrown off his game. 

Make no mistake about it: Heyman bringing up Cody’s family was a sinister move — but it was a calculated one. On the Road to WrestleMania, WWE Superstars frequently dig deep into their bag of tricks to get an edge however they can, and Paul Heyman can do that with the best of them. Unfortunately, Cody lost his cool after Heyman’s inappropriate comments towards his family at home, and as a result, his words were more scattered and incomplete than usual last night. Cody himself realized this after the fact, evidenced by the fact he took to social media to apologize to the WWE Universe for a subpar performance on the microphone:

Putting aside the fact that Heyman got under his skin, Cody brought up an interesting point last night on RAW: He and Roman Reigns have yet to meet face-to-face. There’s a world of difference between Paul Heyman getting under the skin of Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns attempting to do the same — and now a significant question arises.

Will Cody’s temper prove to be his undoing? Ever since he returned to WWE, his confidence has never wavered; he’s told the WWE Universe time and time again that he has one goal in mind: win the championship that has always been tantalizingly out of the Rhodes family’s grasp. His connection with WWE fans around the world has been steadfast — he is laser-focused on his WrestleMania aspirations. 

But last night, there were cracks in Cody’s facade. For the first time, his inner anger and turmoil started to show. He lost his temper live on RAW, and it was all because of words spoken to him by a man currently relegated to a neck brace — a man who poses no physical threat to the American Nightmare in any way. 

What happens when a similar sentiment is sent towards Cody courtesy of somebody who can back up that kind of smack talk in the ring? What happens to Cody’s temper if Roman Reigns were to cross the line and bring the Rhodes family into the discourse? 

Of course, Cody could harness his temper and use that to fuel his desire to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania. Maybe that’s the last-level, killer instinct-esque piece of the puzzle. Maybe Roman Reigns should have an issue with Paul Heyman making this feud more personal — because this could be the motivation Cody needs to put his confidence over the top.

Or maybe this is exactly what causes Cody Rhodes to push himself over the edge.

For Cody, one outcome leads to him fulfilling his destiny in less than six weeks — but the other will lead him to self-destruct as the WWE Universe bears witness to yet another challenger falling at the feet of the seemingly unstoppable Roman Reigns.

Here’s to an incredible next six weeks, everybody. It’s only going to get more intense as we go along.

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