BOAD: Cody Rhodes Wins Back WWE TItle

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1:02bar, and this is the busted open after dark podcast. Cody Rhodes, he is your new WWE champion, and I'm reacting to it all right now. This is the busted open podcast. That's right. The American nightmare is back with the gold. Can't be the golden boy without the gold. That's what he says. QB1 is back in the driver's seat, or so we are led to believe on the road to WrestleMania. Of course, this coming after Randy Orton qualifies to be the number one contender last weekend, winning the elimination chamber, something that Cody Rhodes did not do, and then due to the interview, due to Drew McIntyre getting involved in the chamber match, due to all the shenanigans and anti-authority he is against Nick Aldeus. Nick Aldeus

2:04forces Drew to defend this title just less than a week after chamber up against Cody Rhodes. So Randy Orton, we know is safe. We know he's going to WrestleMania, but Drew, because he can't get out of his own way, has to defend his title against somebody who came up short in the chamber and Cody Rhodes. They planted a lot of seeds. They planted a lot of seeds. We saw a lot of Sami Zayn tonight relatively speaking. It's certain the fact that he didn't have a match. We saw him backstage several times. We've seen him backstage quite a bit in the recent weeks. Sami Zayn's there. We kicked off the night with Randy Orton again, the rightful true number one contender going in to Mania. We also then got an appearance and interference from Jacob Fattu in the final seconds of this match between Cody and Drew.

3:04So a lot of seeds planted a lot of people being involved, which had me down to the wire skeptical of are we actually going to see a clean finish here? Are we actually going to see a straight-up winner? If you asked me when I woke up Friday morning, I would have told you, I'm predicting shenanigans, I'm predicting a whole lot of people are going to be self-serving and we're going to have a big old, just a big old mess, a big old Donnie Brook. That's how we're going to get it to Mania. We're going to take a whole bunch of people in this title match to Mania. Everybody's going to get a little piece of the Mania pie. That's what I would have told you. They had a chance to do it. What they just did is clear-cut, give us Cody Rhodes beating Drew Agatar. Yes, there was several ref pumps. Yes, there was Jacob Fattu's interference. Yes, there was broken tables on purpose or not, but they flat-out gave you one, two, three Cody Rhodes as your new champion.

4:10So the fact that they did that and they've already were advertising prior to the match. They were advertising earlier in the Smackdown program. They were already advertising the contract signing between Randy Orden and the winner of Drew versus Cody. To me, that makes me believe we are straight up going to get Cody Rhodes versus Randy Orden. Well, here's my immediate reaction is this. Cody Rhodes versus Randy Orden is a very sexy marquee. You have a lot going here. You have Cody and where he's at in his WWE career. Obviously, he's been top of the mountain for the last three years. All the finishing the story with the bloodline coming up short of this Mania, then the next Mania, he finally gets it. All the adversity he's faced, Cody truly is your QB1. So you have Cody Rhodes as your champion. That's been proven to be pretty good business, right? So Cody is your champion and then Randy.

5:12Randy, who has been a numbers guy, spout in the numbers. He's been at 20 WrestleMania. It's been only main event to two of them. Randy, who is just getting better with age. Randy, who looks like he's having more fun than ever. Randy, who gets such a ridiculous pop. Randy, who has had some time off over the recent years, for one reason or another, but most notably because of back injuries, once thought to be maybe career ending. He's back. Again, he looks the best he's ever looked. It seems like he worked smart. That doesn't mean he works soft or cheap. It just means that when he needs to bring it all out for a chamber, he does, but he works smart. He's not out there doing things unnecessarily. He knows he can come out and get a lot of reaction by just raising his eyebrows and just by talking about the three most dangerous letters, RKO. So you have two guys at two different points of their career, but are very over with the crowd and all by the way, have a ton of history with each other.

6:19And since Cody has been back in WWE in the last, like, five years now, we have seen Cody and Randy share the screen and talk to each other and talk about each other, but we really haven't cashed in on the history they have, have much less what Cody has developed into. When Cody and Randy were joined at the hip, God, almost 20 years ago now, Randy was the established star. Cody was the up and coming second generation star. Obviously, it's a different plan for now. So all that being said, Cody was Randy is the sexiest marquee and I don't fault it nor am I against it. I'm fine if that's what they're going to do, but I will say that in this time in WWE where you can look up and down the card, they are really putting over and setting up young talent finally. We've had

7:26a long stretch in WWE where, you know, and some of this obviously again was previous regime, but we've had a long stretch where it was like, who are the next guys? You know, Cena started, Cena started reducing his schedule, Brock spent a Surefire box office thing for the last 15 years, but he's not a full-time schedule. Roman started creeping into part-time schedule and we all looked around like, well, who is next, right? Who is next? And we've seen it in WWE recently, you know, the elevation of a trick Williams of Carmelo Hayes of, you know, even even even even even to a lesser extent when you see like a triple threat to qualify for the women in the chamber and you see a Kiana James beat two much more established names. WWE is actively been pushing younger, newer talent as they should. And so it is a little, it is a little peculiar to me that in this situation here where there's so much crossroads, no pun intended of story of

8:31these personalities and I'm talking Drew, I'm talking Cody, I'm talking Jacob, I'm talking Randy, I'm talking Sammy, I am very surprised that as we sit here at this point that we are just going to have a straight up one-on-one match for the title between Cody and Randy at WrestleMania. Again, not saying I hated, but I'm a little surprised because in the vein of and that in the tone of rather of let's elevate more stars, we're going back to Vegas two years in a row. Let's give people something a little different that they saw the year prior at Manion Vegas. I would think having a Jacob Fato in the mix for the title, that would go along with the MO overall, don't be creative of pushing newer talent. Even Sammy Zane, even though Sammy is not a new talent, Sammy has been with the company for over a decade, even though Sammy is not new,

9:32but having him in a world title at Manion, that would certainly be, and having him in a world given the struggles we're seeing him have. He started off the calendar year saying how his kids said, hey, dad, how come you're not one of those world champions? So he already started the year off that way. So to me, that would have made perfect sense of, oh, that's plenty of seed if he's going to find himself in Manion. Whether or not he's the best version of himself, whether he's the version of himself that he wants to look at his kids eyes, honestly, or the mirror, that's where we get into great storytelling. But he's been conflicted, Cody's been talking to him, it's gotten heated there, he's got Randy St. Listen to the voices, he's got trick Williams, just tell him to shut up, grow folk or talking. I mean, Sammy has all the reason in the world to just go scorch earth and be healed Sammy and interject himself. Now, I suppose they're advertising the contract signing next week, certainly contract signings and pro wrestling and WWE rings are much like

10:35any much like weddings, much like birthday cakes, they always in messy, they always end in complete shambles. So it's not out of the realm of possibility that we are led to believe for the next week that it is just straight up Cody versus Randy. But then Drew has a big gripe of why would have won had not been for Jacob Fattu and then Nick all this fires back and says, well, you also knocked out a referee, so you didn't help yourself there. And then Sammy's ain't with whatever, whatever the voice is boil up for him. And then again, Jacob Fattu feeling like he's, you know, he's owned his pound of flesh and he's owed it from both Drew and Cody. And then he and he have Randy who Randy has the sure fire golden ticket. So I suppose it's still not out of the question for it just to be a multi-man match, we will still have to wait and see. But as we stand now, it is Randy straight up versus Cody, a marquee that I understand and I get, but also marquees, I question the value to an extent of a marquee for something like WrestleMania that's two nights

11:41or for something like that WrestleMania that many people decide months ahead of time before the cards even really, you know, fully formed, they decide they're going to go. Now I know, I know, it's been a popular conversation about WrestleMania ticket sales and coming up short compared to previous years, what's the price? Which kid do you have to, do you have to sell in order to a Ford said ticket? I understand that. But at this point in time, I don't know considering you have to travel to Vegas and all the, all the other things and arrangements you have to pay and make for, I don't know. Here we are in the first week of March, six weeks out. I don't know how many more matches that come into clear focus are what truly moves the needle of, oh my God, we just sold 15,000 more tickets. I don't know how that that's really a thing, especially in a town like Las Vegas. So I say all that to mean Cody versus Randy, I'm fine with it and I get it. That's what they do. But I do still think that there would be room and an appetite to make this

12:50more than a straight up singles match. I think Jacob Fattus owed it quite frankly and I mean, owed it in the sense of he's gotten so over in the last year and a half and they've made a conscious point to keep him in this story. I mean, hell, he interfered in the very match where Drew McIntyre won the title two months ago. It just seems, I don't know, it just seems, oh, we do all this and Jacob's just going to be in some match on the undercard. Again, they got a lot of programming coming up after Mania, which is obviously again, later than it traditionally had been in the past 40 years. Mania's third week of April, they then have backlash in May. I think they have clashed in Italy at the very, very end of May. That's two PLEs there. Never mind if they throw a Saturday's main event, which I've heard the rumors. That might be the case in May. The same weekend is double or nothing for a W mind you. So I mean, I guess if that is the case, you got to have bullets ready

13:52for those, those holsters, right? You got to, you got to have shots ready to fire there. So maybe they're going to keep those stories of Jacob still wanting a title shot and redemption against whomever, say I mean, wherever he's at. Maybe they keep those lined up because they're going to have a lot of premium programming to attack within the month, the following WrestleMania. So that could be the case. And if that is the case, uh, and that's how it plays out fine. Um, but bottom line Cody Rhodes versus versus Randy Orton. This is interesting. And it's something I think people have been waiting for for a long time. Since we've seen Cody back in WWE, again, elevated to status. He is Randy, of course, in the Hall of Fame status that he is. Um, not mad about it. It does make you, it does make you sit in question, though. Again, as the conversations have been there regarding WWE creative, um, the approach to it, the approach to building the Mania card, water ticket sales. Is it a matter of the card?

14:53Is it a matter of the ticket prices? Is it a little bit of everything? It does make you wonder why did Drew win the title in the first place two months ago? Again, is it a case of we have a long road to Mania? Again, Mania, third week of April, you know, you have rumble, then you have chamber, and then you have a long stretch from chamber until WrestleMania. I mean, you know, when you were doing, when you do as much programming as they do. And again, chambered Mania is, is not like any other seven weeks in the year. And what I mean by that is at any other seven weeks on the calendar for WWE. Yeah, you could be building to a PLE, but they will, you know, they'll introduce new, you know, new things and new storylines and new things. And okay, maybe this doesn't get a payoff at Mania or maybe this doesn't get a payoff at the PLE, but we've seen this. They oftentimes will have Smackdown be in the same city and or even venue as a Saturday PLE. And sometimes you get a blow off of storyline on that snack down that weekend.

15:56You know, they, they, they save things for that. When you're doing, when you're in that gap of chambered Mania, pretty much anything that you're doing on TV has to eventually call Mania. That's kind of like the unspoken rule, you know, you don't, I mean, you're, you're not going to be giving people, you know, big storyline wrap-ups on the Smackdown the night before night one of Mania. You're really not. You're going to have a lot of promos, a lot of video packages. You're going to have the Hall of Fame taking place later than I, like you're, you're, you're, you're not risk and injury, you're not, you're whatever, you're not, you're, the Smackdown night before it's essentially just a glorified pre-show. And so anything you do between now and from between chamber Mania, it kind of has to culminate at Mania. So what I'm getting at is they decided to have Drew win that title in January. He wins it. Holds it for two months. Is it to test the waters? Is it to see, hey, how are people feeling about Cody? The cheers are not as overwhelming and resounding as they once were. They, you know, look, Randy Orton in his opening promos tonight, he said

17:00I could be facing Drew McIntyre, overwhelming booze as it's supposed to be for Drew's character. Then he said I could be facing Cody Rose. There were some cheers, but there were also others just silence or booze. So while people are still singing a song for Cody and reacting to Cody, it does feel like some baby face momentum has calmed down. Again, whether it's people to say, okay, I've had a lot of Cody as champion in the last few years, I need something different. I like the idea of a Drew McIntyre spiced it up. I like the idea of a fresh, crazy, someone wearing a, wear a wolf and a jacket fat too. Whatever it is, it does feel like the Cody momentum is slowing up to an extent. So did Drew win the title two months ago just for to be an experiment. Did he win it just to mix things up because we have a long road to Mania? Did he win it because they actually saw him going to Mania and then prom breakers been injured. Bronson Reed's been injured and did it? Was it a trickle-down effect of who's going where and who needs who needs to be where on the card and challenging to?

18:01Don't know. I guess we'll find out as time goes on or we'll find out in the next, that would be unreal comes out. But it does make me wonder though, the fact that they had Drew versus Cody tonight, a rematch of a match we got almost exactly two months ago. And again, a title match on Smackdown. Again, not something, you know, they did it on Smackdown January and then they did it again here on this week and did it coming off of a PLE. It certainly does have the feeling of creative is throwing some different darts against the wall and we're an argument about what darts and which balls we are going to listen to in the shuffling process that is trying to build to creative for WrestleMania. So that's where we stand right now. Coming up is Sami Zayn turning heel. Let's talk about it. You're one stop shop for all right SSLI and that's wrestling wrestling nation 24 seven channel 156. Behind every healthcare statistic is a person's face paying the price. Big

19:07pharma just increased the prices of 350 drugs. Hospital monopolies are marking up procedures by 300%. The drug companies and hospitals set healthcare prices and they're too high. America's health insurers are on the side of people working hard to negotiate costs down and make healthcare work better for everyone. We see more than numbers. We see you. Fandool is dropping bonus bets into everyone's account for the tournament. All you have to do is opt in to claim your bonus. But don't wait. These bonus bets are only available for a limited time. Fandool play your game. 21 plus and present in select states bonus issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets which expire seven days after receipt max bonus five hundred dollars unless otherwise specified restrictions apply see terms at sportsbook.fandool.com gambling problem called 1-800 gambler. Exfinity tech support how can I help? I can't get Jurassic Park back online without. Oh you just need infinity plug in your gateway and you're good.

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21:13That's a full year to wear it and love it and you will. Now available on Canada too. Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last. Go to cuince.com slash busted open for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com slash busted open. So Cody Rhodes as we heard the Cody Rhodes champion. He is now lined up to face Randy Orton at WrestleMania contract signing. We'll be next week. We'll see what develops out of that is that as simple and straightforward as a one on one match. Or Drew McAdar certainly has a gripe as he always has a gripe. Jacob far too. He's got a bone to pick with several. We saw his involvement tonight. Sammy Zane. He's in his own mind and trying to get counseling from Randy from Cody from whoever we'll listen. Does he get involved? Sammy Zane. I really hope for Sammy Zane. This results in a diabolical wheel turn. I kind of hope for his sake. He finds a way to get inserted

22:17into this into this title match. As I said, they got a lot of programming postmania. So if they don't, if they decide to keep it straight one on one, I can see a justification for that. And this might play out long term. But for you know, but look, if it's Cody versus Randy, whoever wins that mania wins. And then you have Drew again, potentially waiting there. You have Jacob there waiting there. The problem is with Sammy. Here's what I see with Sammy. Sammy has been like he's been down. He's been that friend that's been down in the dumps, right? You know, every time you see him and should have could have would have been me. If not for this, if not for that, if the sun would have risen this way, if the clouds would have gone that way, he like, I watch Sammy and he's kind of like your, he's kind of like your, your poor man beaten down. And of course, I know the same as any real life who's I'm sure financially is doing great. He's been a great performer for WWE. I'm sure he's fun. But you know, he, he dresses as a, he's the common man white t-shirt. You know, it gets a little, it's a little, it gets a beer going crazy. It gets the, it gets the hair. He just kind of looks like you're,

23:18you're poor man beaten down. He kind of reminds me of like at certain points and certain storylines in late 90s. He kind of reminds me Mick Foley. Only Mick was able to balance and counter with that Foley charisma of the different characters, right? He could be down in the dumps and all the sudden he could reinvent himself as dude love and live out as high school, you know, dream. And then he could get, then he could get brainwashed by Mr. McMahon that you got to take out Stone Cold Steve Austin and that's how you'll be a star. Or he's down to the dumps. He's so, he's been so beaten on by the, by the blue blood that is Hunter Hurts Helms in China that he's got to pull out cactus check. You know, like Foley had that ability to be just this poor beaten down common man. And then he would just go ape shit on you with any one of his, his characters. I don't see Sammy going ape shit as Elgin Erica, but I do think that if Sammy stays involved with these top guy players, these main event, this main event, total picture players, I feel like there's more there for him to work with. That's the one road he could go.

24:24And it's not even his choice. This creative opposite, of course. The other fork in the road to me is, hey, Sammy, ever since this guy Trick Williams has been on the main roster, he's verbally been putting you down and he's been making you, he's been making you look so small. And so Sammy finally, you know, snaps the sides, he's going to commit to being a heel, but and he listens to the voices even, you know, per Randy's advice. And Sammy tries to attack Trick or tries to have an inferior trick Williams match. And that's, and that's what we get for Russell Mania's Trick Williams for same as eight. Fine, you have a Russell Mania match, nobody's ever complain about that. Put your straight up losing the trick Williams. And then after that, I don't know what, what, you know, same again, he's just stirring again that he's, he listened to the voices and he got beat by like Trick Williams. So, um, so for Sammy's sake for creative, I think that it's maybe it might be better off if they can try to keep him in the title picture because otherwise, they're going to need somebody for Trick Williams to beat on with those lemon and pepper stepas.

25:26And I can tell you right now, if that's the case, it's probably going to be Sammy's ain't let's talk about it. Kets the full three hours of busted open every day of the week at 9 a.m. e-sion on pro wrestling nation 24 seven channel 156. Behind every healthcare statistic is a person's face paying the price. Big pharma just increased the prices of 350 drugs. Hospital monopolies are marking up procedures by 300 percent. Drug companies and hospitals set healthcare prices and they're too high. America's health insurers are on the side of people working hard to negotiate costs down and make healthcare work better for everyone. We see more than numbers. We see you. Fandool is dropping bonus bets into everyone's account for the tournament. All you have to do is opt in to claim your bonus. But don't wait, these bonus bets are only available for a limited time. Fandool, play your game.

26:3021 plus in president select states bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets which expire seven days after receipt max bonus five hundred dollars unless otherwise specified restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fandool.com gambling problem called 1-800-Gampler.