Details on backstage reaction to promo between Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman on WWE RAW - Reports
The rivalry between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns got personal this past Monday night on WWE RAW, and The Tribal Chief wasn't even on the show.
Rhodes cut a promo on Monday's show but was quickly interrupted by Paul Heyman. The Royal Rumble winner thanked Heyman for providing his father, Dusty Rhodes, a paycheck in ECW during a time of need. Paul then noted that Dusty trained and mentored Roman Reigns, but not The American Nightmare. The promo was full of emotion and kept the WWE Universe captivated the entire time.
According to a new report from Fightful Select, Monday's promo benefited from "looser scripting" after Vince McMahon departed as head of creative. The report added that many were unsure if Paul Heyman had been told how important Dusty Rhodes being booked in ECW was to the family. Sources told Fightful that Cody and Paul wrote their parts of the promo separately and they came together perfectly.
WWE higher-ups are reportedly thrilled with the segment and the fan reaction to it, as it is currently the marquee match for WrestleMania 39. The talent and officials involved with the promo are said to be very happy as well. A higher-up source in WWE told Fightful that Cody Rhodes and Heyman were able to turn a "manufactured booking decision" into a personal rivalry that could main-event WrestleMania 39 if the company goes in that direction.
We have a lot of news and reactions behind the Cody Rhodes-Paul Heyman promo that gained a ton of acclaim on Raw.
Full story coming to FightfulSelect.com for subscribers today https://t.co/uPXCKFOCoq
Former WWE writer Vince Russo predicts Cody Rhodes will win at WrestleMania
Former WWE head writer Vince Russo believes Cody Rhodes is walking out of WrestleMania as the champion following his promo with Paul Heyman on RAW.
Cody got fired up after Heyman claimed that Roman Reigns was the son that Dusty Rhodes always wanted. The American Nightmare vowed to defeat The Tribal Chief at WrestleMania 39.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Legion of RAW show, Vince Russo claimed Cody would defeat Reigns at WrestleMania and added that he liked the promo because it felt real.
"I like this story, I like all that. All that [Heyman-Rhodes segment] was very very real. Then Heyman started getting into heel and Cody's facials were great. Bro, his top lip was almost quivering. Now there are a couple of very telling things here which I did not like. Bro, if Heyman is saying to Cody Rhodes that your father told me that Roman Reigns is the son he always wanted, 100% Cody Rhodes is going over at WrestleMania." [1:00:56 - 1:01:37]
You can check out the entire edition of Legion of RAW below:
Roman Reigns will have to defeat Sami Zayn next weekend at the Elimination Chamber in order to make it to WrestleMania 39 as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Only time will tell if Sami Zayn can pull off an upset at the premium live event in his hometown of Montreal on February 18th.
Would you like to see Cody Rhodes dethrone Roman Reigns at WrestleMania? Let us know in the comments section below.