When WWE introduced that they’d have champion versus champion matches at Crown Jewel to resolve on the perfect of the perfect, the creme de la creme, the first-ever Crown Jewel Champions, it felt like an ideal alternative to take two wrestlers and elevate them into a brand new echelon; “make” them, if you’ll.
Now positive, technically, no World Titles have been on the road, and nobody can be “diminished” by dropping the match, even when good heels ought to convey it up early and infrequently, however for a pair of wrestlers in Liv Morgan and Gunther, who’re new to the World Title image in significant methods, this was an opportunity to safe new wins over main abilities and inform followers it is okay to purchase into them as premier abilities.
To Paul “Triple H” Levesque’s credit score, one in every of these conditions did come to fruition, as he gave Morgan the rub over Nia Jax and did not pull something screwy with Tiffany Stratton. Morgan cried as she held the belt over her head, celerbrated WWE for believing in her, and will have turned babyface with a downright form story about adopting a Saudi Arabian stray cat.
However Gunther? Properly, he wasn’t so fortunate, getting rolled up by Rhodes after a Tremendous Cody Cutter, solely to bang the mat in frustration after the referee struck 1-2-3.
On paper, this transfer is smart, as Rhodes is WWE’s QB, their new John Cena, and the person who will headline WrestleMania 41 subsequent spring, however in actuality, the promotion had an ideal alternative to get Gunther extra over, get Rhodes extra over, and simply usually heighten the drama on each of their weekly essential roster exhibits and easily let all of it go away in favor of some good footage for social media.
Gunther would have been a made man with a win over Cody Rhodes
Gunther is likely one of the extra polarizing stars within the WWE Universe.
Some followers love him, believing he is the perfect pure wrestler within the promotion and the form of expertise who can elevate virtually anybody he steps within the ring with to a near-five-star effort. And to others? Properly, he is enjoying a stereotypical international heel who is not a terrific promo however is extremely protected by the promotion. Gunther’s energy type hardly ever makes one other opponent look notably robust, even when that is intentional, and it is arduous to see him working with out some kind of belt, as he is been both King of The Ring, IC Champion, or World Heavyweight Champion for all however a number of months of his essential roster run.
Had Gunther received the match towards Rhodes, that notion may need modified.
Positive, Gunther has defeated loads of former champions in WWE and has enormous wins at massive exhibits all over the world, however he has now been defeated by Rhodes twice, at Crown Jewel and the 2023 Royal Rumble, and because of this, seems like a transparent quantity two behind Rhodes, versus the promotion’s 1B. A win on this match would have proven that Gunther is nearly as good as Rhodes on any given evening and, because of this, would haven’t solely made him all of the extra spectacular as a champion and his eventual successor look even higher, too.
Cody Rhodes might have turn out to be a sympathetic babyface once more
Whereas loads of followers are proud of Rhodes’ run because the WWE Champion, many have famous that one thing simply feels off about his time on prime, not less than when in comparison with his time chasing Roman Reigns within the pursuit of “Ending the Story.”
That lacking piece? Sympathy, which Rhodes has in droves because the underdog babyface combating towards a complete Bloodline.
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Followers felt for Rhodes, appreciated his arduous work, and finally needed to see him make his father proud in wrestling heaven, even when Reigns was past entertaining alongside the way in which. When he misplaced at WrestleMania 39, followers cried within the stands and as they walked to their vehicles, and when he was virtually moved out of the primary occasion of WrestleMania 40, they rallied to maintain him on prime with the “We Need Cody” motion and hashtag.
Whereas dropping to Gunther would not have made Rhodes any much less of a champion, it could have made him really feel human and, because of this, might have been utilized in promos for the following six months to remind followers why this chance means a lot to him. However now? Now Rhodes simply stays WWE’s unquestioned prime man, with everybody throughout the roster gunning to take him down a peg and show he is not every little thing he claims.
… you understand, heel stuff.
The place a Rhodes loss would have made him worthy of being cheered on, exhibiting he is human and has setbacks at occasions – you understand, whereas nonetheless being champion – now Rhodes simply seems just like the senior beginning quarterback who is aware of he’ll the NFL however nonetheless has to complete his spring courses to graduate. Whereas most outdoors followers like that participant for what they symbolize, most individuals do not just like the entitled legacy jock who has every little thing handed to them, making him into much more of a heel no matter how a lot cash his tailor-made swimsuit prices or how a lot he smugly says he did it for the followers.
