Stevie Richards Explains The Problem With WWE Star Cody Rhodes' Match Finishes
Cody Rhodes has become one of the biggest names on WWE since returning to the promotion and has enjoyed a lengthy run as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. However, some believe that something is missing with "The American Nightmare," and according to wrestling veteran, Stevie Richards, it's largely due to how his matches finish.
The veteran opined that overbooked finishes, spots, and matches end up tiring fans, explaining that everyone wants cliffhangers and suspense.
"Whenever Owens and Cody wrestle (...) he's gonna kick out of the Package Piledriver and win the match," Richards said during an episode of "The Stevie Richards Show." "How is that more devastating when he already dropped him on his head and hurt him and his neck is compromised but he gets to kick out on the second one?"
The veteran explained that such a sequence would ruin the heat on Kevin Owens and all the sympathy on Rhodes and lose the fans' empathy. Richards then described how Rhodes tends to hit his opponents with three Cross Rhodes to finish them off, and opined that it's likely not the star himself who came up with this idea. He feels that defeating Chad Gable with only one hurt his momentum.
"You hit it three to four times on everybody else, and then what's that make Chad Gable look like if you only need one to beat him?" Richards. "It fosters a whole bitter resentment because now across the board, Cody would have to hit it three times."
The veteran then opined that stars who are booked to go out with one Cross Rhodes might end up building resentment.
Richards suggests that Cody needs to change his finisher
Stevie Richards' co-host then suggested that Cody Rhodes might have to move away from his Cross Rhodes finisher to revitalize his character. Richards added that the Undisputed WWE Champion has a plethora of different moves he could turn into finishers instead.
"He has quite a few that he could use. Hey, you know what? You wanna go super old school and pay tribute to Dusty? Elbow out of the corner," Richards said.
He explained that fans could be re-educated about old moves and their significance, and pointed out how the Piledriver is now considered deadly again. "Cody is somebody that appreciates the history of the business," he explained. "So, if you look back and you see what can Cody do to pay homage to a legend, to bring back a finish that people haven't done in 10, 20 years? There you go."
Interestingly, Richards believes that Rhodes could make any move his finisher, even the Piledriver despite it now being considered a heel move, explaining that he trusts "The American Nightmare's" ability to pull it off.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Stevie Richards Show" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.