40-year-old performer says Cody Rhodes's WWE rise felt "artificial" (Exclusive)

Former NXT star EC3 recently stated that Cody Rhodes' WWE rise felt 'artificial' and that his feud with Roman Reigns didn't have much of a build.

After winning the Men's Royal Rumble 2023 match, Cody challenged Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39. Though viewers expected The American Nightmare to put an end to The Tribal Chief's title reign, things took a shocking turn, with the latter retaining his gold.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Outlaws, EC3 stated that the feud between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns was undercooked and short. The former WWE star added that Cody's rise to the main event also felt 'artificial.' Nonetheless, EC3 believes The American Nightmare should have won at 'Mania.

​

​

"The feud was, as you said, short. It didn't have a ton of build. It seemed artificial, Cody's rise. But you watch that match, you watch that crowd, how much The Bloodline has been on fire. People immediately become stars working with them, so they are making new stars within this process. So the want for Cody to win is legitimate. So it's the best decision they could have made," said EC3 [2:14 to 2:45]

Check out the full video below:

---

Former WWE star EC3 was a fan of the WrestleMania 39 main event

Furthermore, EC3 stated that the match between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39 was excellent. The former NXT star explained that the bout was a masterpiece because of its simplicity.

​

​

"That match was excellent. It was very simple, like basic storytelling, and simplicity creates masterpieces. They did a hell of a job, it was a hell of a match," added EC3 [2:48 to 3:06]

PW Chronicle

@_PWChronicle

Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes is taking place at #WWEBacklash next month as a promotional deal with Puerto Rico.

The entire event will serve as a promotion for the country, with more “marquee matches” expected to be announced.

- per @PWInsidercom

640

80

Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes is taking place at #WWEBacklash next month as a promotional deal with Puerto Rico.

The entire event will serve as a promotion for the country, with more “marquee matches” expected to be announced.

- per @PWInsidercom https://t.co/hT2JB2QoHi

Though he's currently feuding with Brock Lesnar, Cody Rhodes is expected to challenge Roman Reigns again sometime down the line.

---

If you take any quotes from this article, please embed the YouTube video and credit Sportskeeda Wrestling.

​

​