“Lackadaisical”: Major Booking Call Turning Cody Rhodes’ Support in Favour of Tony Khan’s Swerve Strickland, Reasons Explained

WrestleMania XL will be remembered as one of the most emotional editions in the history of the glorious event with Cody Rhodes finally finishing his story by defeating Roman Reigns to conquer the WWE world championship that his father could attain in life.

With this, the WWE ushered in a new era with Rhodes as the face of the company and the new Undisputed WWE Champion. This change is significant. Given that Reigns’ presence in programming in recent years has been minimal compared to Rhodes’. But it also gives the creatives ample time to build a stellar storyline for the American Nightmare. However, it seems like the WWE is failing in this department. Especially when compared to their rivals, All Elite Wrestling.

Is Cody Rhodes losing his momentum?

During the latest edition of the Busted Open Podcast, hosts Jonathan and Justin compared the contrast between the storylines and momentum for the top champions in the WWE and AEW. And while they believed that Swerve Strickland’s storyline has continued garnering momentum, the same cannot be said about the American Nightmare.

Swerve Strickland and Christian Cage will face off for the All Elite Wrestling World Championship on May 26 at AEW Double or Nothing 2024. It will be the first time they face each other in a singles match. And with the way AEW has been carrying the story forward, it seems like the story is more intense for sure. So they believed Strickland’s story against Christian Cage has more “good chaos” from a booking standpoint. And that includes the possibilities of betrayals or more potential crossovers with the Elite.

For Rhodes, things are different. As he faces an unexpected rival, Logan Paul. And the match-up actually seemed to come out of nowhere. So on this, the hosts said, “I think it’s with Cody, it’s almost like things are so easier. And what I mean by that is like, he’s got the title. Now he’s doing what his father never got to do, which is be that world champion at WWE. And as we’ve talked about, there are some really sexy names, some sexy marquees for Cody Rhodes, to main event. It’s just a matter of timing of when do they want to burn through some of those. And so I think Cody’s is just kind of like, you know, it’s almost like a little lacksadaisical, like, ah, we got material for the next 12 months here with him. You know what I mean? Whereas with Swerve, it’s a little bit more urgent.”

It looks like the WWE will have to gain back the momentum it has lost. Because it sure was on fire for the past few months. So there’s no doubt that the WWE will not want to lag behind again. But for that, it all depends on their latest PLE. WWE King and Queen of the Ring 2024 will take place on Saturday, May 25. The Jeddah Superdome at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia plays host to the event. As always, fans will witness this event live from the venue. But for viewers at home, it will be broadcasted on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network internationally.

As for AEW Double or Nothing 2024, it will take place on Sunday, May 26. As for the location, it will be at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, just a few miles from Las Vegas, Nevada. Fans will be able to watch this event live inside the venue, or through its traditional pay-per-view broadcast and Triller TV globally. Nevertheless, both wrestling promotions would want to ensure that they put on the best show possible. Do you think that both companies would address the criticism and praise that they have amassed from wrestling fans over their major title reigns? Let us know in the comments section below.