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There have been so many attention-grabbing doable methods for WWE to steer The Bloodline saga with Roman Reigns within the lead and Cody Rhodes nonetheless concerned that stored issues fascinating.
Till lately, when WWE seemingly stumbled into the worst doable route.
Reigns returned from an absence over the course of the final week and in an effort to struggle in opposition to Solo Sikoa and the brand new Bloodline…signed on to tag crew with Rhodes on the upcoming Unhealthy Blood PLE.
To say the choice feels underwhelming can be an understatement. Reigns may have began his redemption tour by reuniting with Jey Uso or Jimmy Uso. Paul Heyman is lacking in motion. Heck, even an encounter with Sami Zayn would have been loads of enjoyable.
As an alternative, followers are left with this archaic-feeling “bitter rivals compelled to crew up with one another” factor that seems like a relic of the Vince McMahon-era reserving, not this new golden period put forth by Triple H.
And the execution hasn’t helped. Reigns returned and remains to be largely a cocky heel. However he additionally apparently appears to suppose he wants assist, and relatively than search it out through attention-grabbing methods, he merely resorts to teaming with the man who ended his historic title reign.
Rhodes, but once more, appeared to lack frequent sense. His proclaiming he was completed with Bloodline stuff to placing his signature on a paper to crew with Reigns in opposition to the Bloodline only a few minutes later reeked of that point Brock Lesnar randomly appeared as his teammate and he fell for it, whereas everybody on Earth appeared to know a betrayal was coming however him.
At this level, it nearly seems like WWE is not positive what to do with Rhodes. He is been largely spinning his wheels as a “welcome all challengers” good man since his huge win at ‘Mania, and his feuds have lacked a definite edge or private high quality to them—one thing made all of the extra obvious when evaluating it to the blood feud between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre proper now.
Actually, it is not all that new with Rhodes, both. When he is caught wiuthout a serious factor to do till the subsequent huge setpiece PLE, it is worse and apparent than with Reigns as a result of he would not have a grand storyline just like the Bloodline round him. Had been he not nonetheless driving a wave of overness with followers, he’d seemingly be getting the identical therapy a current champion like Seth Rollins obtained on account of overexposure.
Keep in mind roughly a yr in the past when Rhodes and Jey Uso gained the tag crew titles? Precisely. This seems like that.
It is an particularly harsh route for issues to take when wanting on the potentialities for Reigns. Heyman may have come again to seek the advice of him. He may begin mending the burned bridges with one of many Usos. That function of saving somebody from a beatdown by the hands of Sikoa and the Bloodline may have been used to save lots of Jey and actually make issues attention-grabbing, not Rhodes.
Plus, for as a lot as followers thought WWE may keep away from Reigns getting bodily with Jacob Fatu for the sake of a massive-money match down the street, effectively, right here it’s as an alternative in a tag match at a filler-feeling PLE.
Perhaps this does not find yourself as inconsequential filler. If WWE is wise, there’s zero probability Reigns and Rhodes really play good as a crew and get a win, particularly whereas outnumbered. Perhaps Randy Orton takes main situation with Rhodes teaming with the man who gaslit his circle of relatives into obedience and betrays him to arrange future feuds.
However that may take WWE being keen to get Rhodes away from the Bloodline proper now and let him fly on his personal some extra whereas Reigns handles his enterprise. Maybe they cannot as a result of the concept is to slowly construct that hypothetical future ‘Mania the place considered one of them takes on The Rock, who nonetheless hovers within the background as an attention-grabbing heel character presumably pulling puppet strings.
The stench of the compelled team-up, although, will not depart it doesn’t matter what. And if there is not a fully impeccable plan to progress a number of narratives without delay, this may be the purpose in hindsight that everybody can look again on and agree that the Bloodline shark has, certainly, been jumped.
WWE has shocked in a great way earlier than, after all. However this feels just like the very worst sort of Vince-styled autopilot reserving for a quiet a part of the calendar earlier than issues sit back up subsequent yr for ‘Mania season (and Uncooked going to Netflix and Smackdown to USA Community).
The onus is on WWE to show this thought course of fallacious as a result of, because it stands, a Reigns-Rhodes crew was once a punchline about what the worst choices to maneuver ahead had been with regards to the Bloodline.
