ROH Wrestling: No, Cody Rhodes Isn’t A Lackluster Champion

The ROH Wrestling Pay Per View “Death Before Dishonor” was an excellent one, but because the main event between Cody Rhodes and Minoru Suzuki for the World Championship was cut short by an underwhelming finish, the annoying cries of “Cody is overrated!” have rung out again.

Reddit’s r/SquaredCircle subreddit is undoubtedly one of the best places to talk about wrestling, but invariably a “hivemind for the smarks” will perpetuate opinions that are frustratingly close-minded. After most matches involving Cody Rhodes, whether they happen in NJPW or ROH Wrestling, conclude, the live threads will be filled with harsh criticisms of the former WWE Superstar’s wrestling chops.

Outside of the WWE, there is a greater emphasis on work rate and the in-ring product itself. Rarely in the WWE will we get to see a true 4.5-star classic, and the only true barnstormers in 2017 have been AJ Styles vs. John Cena at the Royal Rumble, Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne at NXT TakeOver Chicago, and Ember Moon vs. Asuka at NXT TakeOver Brooklyn.

Meanwhile, ROH and NJPW regularly produce these types of matches, and NJPW’s historic run of form has spoiled us greatly. The likes of Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Juice Robinson, Tomohiro Ishii, Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Will Ospreay, Ricochet, and Kota Ibushi leave it all in the ring every time they step out. Cody himself has been involved in a few classics, including his IWGP Heavyweight Championship shot against Okada.

The result of this balls-to-the-wall approach? Breath-taking matches, but they come at a high cost. Despite all the well-deserved praise they get from most corners of the wrestling community, they receive plenty of admonishing from the old-timers. Most of these critiques are “Total BS”, because these matches do feature incredible story-telling and facial expressions (just watch any Okada match). But the injuries make these matches come at a high cost.

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Cody is the ROH World Champion, but he doesn’t wrestle like the typical worker outside of WWE. He doesn’t wrestle the WWE-style either, but Cody’s matches usually don’t involve huge risks or outlandish spots.

I mean, he does take it to the extreme to please the fans sometimes, such as when he did a moonsault off of a shoddily-built steel cage, but most of Cody’s matches are centered around build and showmanship.

For many, his lack of 4.5-star matches is a problem, especially when the undercard can regularly upstage him. ROH, after all, features talent like Jay Lethal, KUSHIDA, the Young Bucks, the Motor City Machine Guns, and Marty Scurll.

Lethal himself spoke about how challenging it was to be the World Champion in ROH, because he always felt like he had to push himself to insane levels just to top the matches that came before him on the card. (Just to clarify, Lethal wasn’t complaining about this at all; he literally said he “loved it”.)

The problem is that this may not be sustainable, especially since fans have to be more aware of the risks wrestlers take in the ring to have these incredible matches night in and night out. Plus, there are more ways to built to a satisfying main event, and Cody’s stage presence and character work are second to none in ROH.

Cody is a draw. That’s nothing new, but it has to be emphasized. Wrestling fans in the United States know who Cody is, and he is almost stupidly over. His entrance, ring gear, interviews, ability to be a slimy heel, and ability to get a crowd invested in a match are so important, and he brings a lot of traits that nobody else in ROH can. Even if that means sacrificing a little bit on how many “stars” the main event match gets, it’s completely worth it. Because of the way Cody gets people interested in the product, there isn’t anyone better-suited for the honor of being ROH Champion.

Furthermore, Cody keeps adjusting well to the style of wrestling outside of WWE without losing too much of what makes him unique in the ring. You can’t tell me his match with Okada didn’t leave you at the edge of your seat, and his in-ring work against Christopher Daniels in his championship-winning match was also excellent. For those of you WCPW fans out there, Cody was a brilliant Internet Champion, adjusting his style well to put on a quality match against any opponent, whether it was Matt Riddle or a Triple Threat against Joe Hendry and Gabriel Kidd.

“Different” does not equal “worse”, and I find it ironic that the fans who enjoy the typical ROH and NJPW match and lambast critics for not being “open” to different styles of wrestling are the same people who tear into Cody for putting an emphasis on different aspects of the in-ring product.

The reactions to Cody as a champion are quite diverse and reflect the myriad of opinions wrestling fans have of the type of wrestler who should be ROH World Champion.

“Paper champion”? Well, that’s a little harsh. As far as I’m concerned, the only real “paper champion” in wrestling is Jinder Mahal, because he can’t win a match without outside interference, let alone put on a match that surpasses the three-star barometer. And he needs Randy Orton or Shinsuke Nakamura to carry him.

Meanwhile, Cody can make a belt feel like it means something extra, and, again, his marketability and charisma are important. Nobody else touches him in these respects in the entire promotion. If fans can watch the Young Bucks, Lethal, or Silas Young tear down the house lower on the card, shouldn’t they want to see a unique performer and a more “mainstream” champion leading the charge to strengthen the brand? Cody offers what others in ROH can’t, and that allows the promotion to “have its cake and eat it, too”.

And by that, I mean that the company can showcase its typical high work-rate matches for the fans lower on the card, and then give a wider audience a recognizable name who wrestles a safer, more “traditional” match that is based more around pure character work and a slow-burning storyline.

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This whole “best champion or worst champion” discussion does nothing for anybody. Cody’s reign hasn’t been a lengthy one, he hasn’t been given a real build from which to evaluate him yet, and he’s clearly neither a positive or negative superlative at this juncture. What he is, without a shadow of a doubt, is one word, and that’s “entertaining”, which is what ROH needs beyond anything else.