On WWE SmackDown last week, AJ Styles brutally assaulted Cody Rhodes. Moving ahead, on the June 7, 2024 episode of SmackDown, Rhodes confronted Styles. This led to an “I Quit” match being announced between Cody and AJ for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Clash at the Castle 2024.
While the segment between Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles was enough to keep the fans intrigued, there’s something else that caught the attention of the fans. It is none other than how The American Nightmare got inside the ring during the latest episode of SmackDown.
It seems after watching Cody’s latest in-ring move, fans are of the opinion that Rhodes tried to copy John Cena. Sharing the video, one fan wrote, “CODY MUST HAVE LEARNT THIS FROM JOHN CENA”.
CODY MUST HAVE LEARNT THIS FROM JOHN CENA 😂#Smackdown pic.twitter.com/yp6u61PgeA
— DREAM (@TeamCody__) June 8, 2024
Cody’s style of getting inside the ring on SmackDown brought several reactions from the fans. Some of the fans blamed Rhodes for copying Cena. One fan wrote, “Man i supported cody all the way.. But he is Just tryna copy cena…”. On the other hand, some of the fans showcased their love for the Leader of the Cenation, and one fan stated, “Nah John Cena was bigger than Cody”.
It is now to be seen if Cody Rhodes will respond to the fans’ reaction going forward. Also, it would be interesting to see if the 16-time World Champion has anything to say.
Cody Rhodes’ personality and storylines reflect his similarities to John Cena
Fans recently blamed Cody Rhodes for copying John Cena. In that regard, it is needless to say that Rhodes shares several similarities with Cena. To begin with, both Cody and John have a similar personality. They are both media-friendly and are involved in charitable activities.
In addition to their personalities, there are also similarities in their storylines in WWE. The ongoing storyline between Rhodes and Styles reflects Cena’s storyline with Mark Henry. Back in 2013, Henry also faked retirement and attacked John, just like Styles did to Cody.
Triple H is booking Cody Rhodes EXACTLY like how Vince booked John Cena.
and at this point, I expect The Rock storyline to be copy/paste too! https://t.co/oO2uQFSP9X pic.twitter.com/nK5TtkpwqC
— AIR (@AIRGold_) June 1, 2024
Also, both the 16-time World Champion and The American Nightmare faced Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. They both received an F5 from The Beast Incarnate. Apart from that, another remarkable similarity that Cody and John share is that both of them lose very rarely inside the ring.
Cena, during his prime, won several consecutive matches, just like Rhodes’ current run. It can therefore be understood that Rhodes and Cena are similar to each other in many aspects.
Cody Rhodes’ run has been stale since his big win at WrestleMania 40
Fans were excited when Cody Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. But, since then, Rhodes’ WWE run has failed to impress the fans. In fact, his storylines inspired by Cena also couldn’t save Cody’s run from running stale.
After winning the championship, The American Nightmare has successfully defended the title against AJ Styles and Logan Paul. Despite that, those have matches failed to keep up the excitement among the fans. In fact, his run seems to be running a bit stale.
OFFICIAL.
WWE Clash at the Castle 🏴
Undisputed WWE Championship
Cody Rhodes (c) vs AJ Styles
I Quit Match#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/ptq03RSat2
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) June 8, 2024
As of now, the Stamford-based promotion has scheduled another title defense for Cody at the upcoming Premium Live Event. It now remains to be seen if this match will be able to uplift Rhodes’ current run in any way. Whatever the case, it’s a highly anticipated match and fans will look forward to the outcome of it.