Bully Ray Explains Why Cody Rhodes Needs To Be WWE's 'Neo From The Matrix'

Last Friday on "WWE SmackDown," 2024 men's Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes told reigning Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns that he would not be challenging him at WrestleMania for the second consecutive year. Instead, "The American Nightmare" brought out Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who now looks set to face Reigns at the two-night event in April. Since that segment aired, there has been a significant backlash from fans, with #WeWantCody trending on social media. On "Busted Open Radio," WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray spoke about how Rhodes needs to be Neo from "The Matrix" — Neo was the key protagonist in that movie franchise.

"Yes, he's the one," Bully said. "Because Roman Reigns is the one right now and has been the one more than just about anybody else has been in WWE history. They've done one hell of a job with Roman, The Bloodline, the whole nine years. And if you remember a year ago, Dave [LaGreca], I said that Cody Rhodes has to become as big of a star, if not bigger, across the entire planet than Roman Reigns for them to pull the trigger. I believe what they're trying to do, and it's going to require more patience from us, is to get Cody to truly that undeniable level."

Although Bully agreed that Johnson winning the men's Rumble would have solved the WrestleMania main event conundrum, he feels the promotion is attempting to turn Rhodes into the "ultimate underdog" and the "ultimate martyr," especially because he seemingly allowed Johnson to take his shot at Reigns at WrestleMania. Ultimately, Bully believes WWE and Johnson have Rhodes' best interests in mind.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.