Cody Rhodes wants Brock Lesnar in Backlash’s presumptive main event
From a kayfabe standpoint, last week was a rough one for Cody Rhodes. The men’s Royal Rumble winner fell short in his quest to win the undisputed Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39 and succumbed to a 10-minute beatdown at Brock Lesnar’s hands the next night on Raw.
Understandably, many fans are concerned about Rhodes’ direction for the rest of the year. To be fair, many believe that this will kickstart “The American Nightmare’s” redemption tour, but it’s tough to shake the idea that WWE missed a big chance to christen a new top babyface at its biggest pay-per-view of the year.
Nevertheless, this is the path WWE has chosen, as Rhodes made clear through his promo on the April 10 edition of the promotion’s flagship show.
Cody Rhodes’ big challenge for Backlash
As he teased on Instagram, Rhodes addressed his recent setbacks before the Seattle crowd. With his trademark passionate delivery, the former Ring of Honor World Champion expressed frustration with losing to Roman Reigns and his victimization by Lesnar.
Rhodes admitted that he’s afraid of “The Beast”, but that wouldn’t stop him from challenging Lesnar to a match at Backlash. Lesnar will probably accept when he shows up to Raw next week. Once he does, the May 6 pay-per-view likely has its main event.
With Reigns expected to miss this show thanks to his truncated schedule, WWE doesn’t have too many alternatives for a headliner. The only other match WWE has teased for the show is a tag match between Dominik Mysterio, Damian Priest, Rey Mysterio, and PPV host Bad Bunny. While that match holds plenty of intrigue due to Bunny’s celebrity, it will likely take up a midcard spot.
The only other full-time singles star who could potentially main event this show, Seth Rollins, doesn’t have an obvious opponent waiting for him. Bianca Belair vs. IYO SKY would’ve fit the bill…had WWE not presented SKY as a lackey for so long. And WWE probably won’t put a tag team championship match in the top spot for consecutive PPVs.
Next. The path to “Main Event” Jey Uso’s return is ripe for the taking. dark
With the wrestlers available to them right now, Lesnar vs. Rhodes is the biggest match WWE could book for this show. If nothing else, that at least shows that the company still sees Rhodes as a top babyface, but we’ll have to wait until the match happens to find out if it sees him as the top babyface.