Wrestling veteran questions Cody Rhodes' spot at WWE Bash in Berlin
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes remains as over as ever among the fans. But the company has taken some strides towards building other top stars lately as well. This includes wrestlers such as Damian Priest and Gunther, who got to headline premium live events since April 2024.
At Bash in Berlin, World Heavyweight Champion, Gunther closed the event while The American Nightmare's title defense against Kevin Owens kicked off the show. Former WWE RAW General Manager, Eric Bischoff, loved the contest but felt that it needed to headline the PLE.
Speaking on his podcast 83 Weeks, Bischoff stood by his opinion. He feels that if the company views Cody Rhodes as, "the guy," as he does, then the latter needs to main event every show like The American Nightmare's predecessor, Roman Reigns did.
"I continue to, because of my traditional approach, think that Cody Rhodes is still the guy right now and as long as he’s the guy, he should be treated like the guy. I’m not changing my opinion in terms of the placement, I wanted to see Cody and Kevin in the main event," said Bischoff.
Eric Bischoff praised the in-ring action, stating that the "Japanese type finish" worked in this case, albeit it is frequently used these days. He was referring to what transpired post-match, where The Prizefighter decided to take a moment to breathe and not turn on the champion, showing respect instead by embracing and shaking Rhodes' hand.
"I thought the match was phenomenal. I think Kevin Owens did a stellar job. [...] He sold that moment, he made me believe what he was feeling. If you make the audience believe to the extent that Kevin Owens made me believe. By the way, this happened throughout the match, this started before the match during the pre-show. What a great job," he added. [H/T: Fightful]
You can check out the match highlights in the video below:
Color commentator, Wade Barrett, though, addressed Owens' choice to not capitalize on The American Nightmare's potential 'knee injury' during the bout. Barrett felt that The Prizefighter had lost his killer instincts.
Cody Rhodes addresses competing for the top spot in WWE with Roman Reigns
WWE Hall of Famers, Mark Henry and Bully Ray, albeit big supporters of The American Nightmare, recently stated that Roman Reigns was still the top guy in World Wrestling Entertainment.
Touching upon this sentiment during the WWE Bash in Berlin post-show press conference, Cody Rhodes said that he enjoys the challenge. He also added that there aren't "insecurities" and "concerns" as he has a "lifetime of experience."
"We [Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns] have pitted ourselves against each other not just at WrestleMania in the main event, but in every aspect behind the scenes too. And not in a dishonest way – in an honest way. Better man’s gonna win. And that’s a good problem to have," said Rhodes. [H/T: WrestleTalk]
Meanwhile, Roman Reigns is once again off television after a noteworthy return at SummerSlam. He was attacked by Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and the rest of The Bloodline a few weeks ago, and he has not appeared on WWE television since.