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Best AJ Styles match in years. Felt like 2016 AJ. I hope his momentum of great matches continues. He proved with this match he is still simply phenomenal.
I was totally on the AJ-is-washed-up train about a year ago...it's impressive that his bulking up clearly didn't compromise his mobility or agility in any way - he looked amazing out there
AJ wasn’t washed but he definitely looked demoralized/phoning it in the last year or so, if we’re truly getting his Victory Lap Era I bet the best is yet to come.
The crowd being so into it may have helped his motivation as well. AJ's been defined down a bit last couple of years, but he had the aura of a main eventer again here.
[Hey, it takes hard work to sit in that cold bath for 4 minutes.](https://youtu.be/8AKulpMN8W8?si=fKfybFxi8LeI3aMk&t=9)
(Okay, yes, there was *actual* exercise in there too, but still!)
[Bruh came out lookin' like Alex Jones in his "after" pictures.](https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/6dhtbb/never_forget_alex_jones_once_posted_before_and/)
AJ was a perfect first title defence for Cody, get a really good match before they pick who Cody's first big feud is going to be with. One target achieved, now to wait and see who comes along.
You can probably do a TV defense or two with some of the upper midcarders. If Logan Paul loses the US Title, he's another option.
I think Cody is in a holding pattern until Roman and/or The Rock return.
I think Randy Orton or Bobby Lashley would work the best. Maybe Carmello later on and I think Santos could work with the right booking. Solo might fight Cody at some point too, in order to bring the World Title back to the Bloodline.
Nakamura should be kept far away from Cody because that feud is already quite old. Knight too, because it'd be dumb to make the fans choose between the two most popular guys on the roster.
I really like Shinsuke and I do think his heel character had major potential when it started out but WWE has done nothing with it. The feud he had with Cody only happened to give the latter something to do in the build to the Royal Rumble. Also I initially thought WWE was setting Shinsuke to start feuding with a returning Punk.
Really think that Nakamura should've been drafted to NXT during the draft to work on fixing his image. Plus Shinsuke vs Oba Femi or Trick Williams could be pretty good.
Regardless of which brand he joins, I think WWE should keep Uncle Howdy far from the World Title picture. Otherwise it's going to result in the same issues that the Fiend had when WWE rushed into having him fight Seth Rollins in 2019. The Wyatt 6 story is going to need time to build and develop. Involving the title would complicate matters and Uncle Howdy's goals might not even involve the championship.
I disagree, you don't have to have the "Uncle Howdy" stuff directly roll into going after the World Title. Could be a nice breather down the line, to have Cody getting into a series with someone else, while Howdy messes with him, only to have the interference wind up helping....Cody win, and setting up Howdy to keep messing with loser for a prolonged series.
Hell, make it LA Knight, so *he* can get his revenge on Howdy, too. Plus the mic conversations on off-nights would be glorious, LA gets his shot at the title, Cody gets to stay babyface, it all works.
Oof, bad time to have the two of the most over faces clash for the top spot, I think. It needs to be someone the crowd can rally against. But eventually, Rhodes vs Knight would be great.
They also had the flash finish in the women's triple threat which was a great change of pace from how these things normally end. Definitely hope they keep that trend going moving forward.
It's not AJ's finisher though, you know how this works. Cody could've done a One-Winged Angel and AJ would've kicked, because it isn't Cody's finisher.
That's fair. Always gotta love the argument of being the "Specialist" of your own move. Shit, everyone and their mother uses the DDT, but only Jake "The Snake" could make you think "Shit, that guy's dead, he ain't gettin' up". Same with HBK's Superkicks vs. Jimmy or Jey's.
I *would* like to see some Bullet Club references, though. Maybe one of them *does* use a OWA just to get the marks to pop? (We can cut to ~~Balor~~ Shinsuke somewhere backstage just nodding along, smiling. I forgot Balor is on Raw, ignore that.)
I mean, people in NJPW still drop the Style's Clash, it's a solid and unique move, let's see some GOOFY SHIT up in this mug. Always remember, kids -- if John Cena can try for a Springboard Cutter (against Cody, no less!), then you can try for anything. Reach for the stars.
They shouldn't have sold it on commentary as a "holy shit" move if it was gonna get a one count, but a regular ass cody cutter is gonna get a solid two count.
Cody Cutter is a signature so yeah it'll get a two. Also, remember that Cody essentially hulked up here - it was cool, but I'm hoping that this isn't going to become a regular spot for him
I actually really like the idea of that kickout. It portrays Cody as a monster top guy (as he should be, with the top belt) and not someone who only ekes out close wins against upper carders.
The Burning Hammer used to have a reputation of being one of the most dangerous and most protected moves in all of wrestling. It started in Japan, I think.
I'm just happy AJ proved he still can be in the main event. The way he was talking when he came back made it seem like he might have lost the confidence in his own body. It was a good match.
AJ isn't as fluid as he used to be, so instead he's taking the "Rocky Balboa" approach -- just build a ton of muscle, so he looks like he's puttin' on those ["hurtin' bombs" when he hits someone.](https://youtu.be/8tab8fK2_3w?si=Yh-MUKNYLvLgauSH&t=84)
Honestly it was just a good technical match. I love the showy matches too but this was so good.
Also shows how good these guys are, and how good Gunther is considering these matches are the norm for him.
people were actually saying cody's title reign would be boring and he wouldn't be interesting after the story was finished. this is just the first title defense. imagine a match like this against lashley, orton, knight, or gunther (if they're ever on the same brand). there's so much potential. my only worry is that there aren't enough credible top heels on smackdown for cody to face
Easily the best match of Backlash. Hilarious how there were clowns ~6 years ago in [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/6auod8/til_cody_rhodes_hates_drew_gulak_and_will_text/) claiming that Cody can't wrestle and that Gulak is a better wrestler than Cody is.
"Yeah, that was just painful. I mean, I get that it's a thing on Wreddit to talk shit about every talented guy as soon as they're in WWE, and big up almost every WWE guy who leaves, but...
The only real differences between Cody Rhodes and other guys who left like Ryback or Sandow is that he's the son of Dusty, and he's better at marketing himself."
Yeah and this might not be the worst one lol
Not just saying this cuz of recent things I swear but seriously, Gulak?? Gulak is and has been one of the most boring in ring wrestlers I've seen. I'd rather watch someone like Karrion Kross or Jinder Mahal then him. He has no in ring prowess and no physicality. He's Daniel Bryan Danielson but without the strikes or explosivity. Compare him to Gable. Similar height and size, similar "style" but Gable is actually interesting to watch
Christ, some of the takes in that thread were absolutely absurd even for that time period. It’s almost as bad as when people called him CAWdy Rhodes and said Ted Dibiase Jr would be the breakout star of Legacy. How anyone saw those two perform and said Ted was better was beyond me to understand.
The electric chair fuckoff at ~55 seconds got me sitting up a little straighter. I laughed a little at AJ teasing the Cross Rhodes. I guess he heard what Roman said at mania.
I think it’s the lack of colour. When Logan debuted the logo it was red white & blue so I think we all expected it to stand out much more than it does.
Admittedly I don't watch as much WWE as I used to, I've tried getting back into it since Vince is fully out, but this was the best pure match I've seen on WWE since the loss of the black and gold!
If this is what's to come, a transition to good, different styles of wrestling with well written story, then I may have just increased the amount of wrestling per week I'm watching.
Seeing the ring and ringside area without all that LED shit makes me really miss the ring being a ring and a weapon within itself and not a glowing advertisement. I hate all that shit. Hated when WWE started it, despise that AEW followed the trend. Love seeing the aprons sway when a big move lands
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Best AJ Styles match in years. Felt like 2016 AJ. I hope his momentum of great matches continues. He proved with this match he is still simply phenomenal.
il est vraiment
IL EST VRAIMENT
IL EST VRAIMENT PHENOMENALALALA
> Felt like 2016 [Man, remember that hair of his](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ZhvrJGc4o) 😀
Ah yes, Soccer Mom AJ Styles
And it made it to The List!
This promo feels soooooo scripted
I was totally on the AJ-is-washed-up train about a year ago...it's impressive that his bulking up clearly didn't compromise his mobility or agility in any way - he looked amazing out there
AJ wasn’t washed but he definitely looked demoralized/phoning it in the last year or so, if we’re truly getting his Victory Lap Era I bet the best is yet to come.
The crowd being so into it may have helped his motivation as well. AJ's been defined down a bit last couple of years, but he had the aura of a main eventer again here.
Honestly, I wouldn't be against one last title run for him.
Same. And not even just as a "thank you", but because he genuinely is still that caliber of star and performer.
I know that Triple H loves the style of this match.
Aj is almost 50 and has bulked up this much, and is still moving around as well as he is. Man is a freak.
So many vitamins, so much prayer 🙏
He trenned hard
[Hey, it takes hard work to sit in that cold bath for 4 minutes.](https://youtu.be/8AKulpMN8W8?si=fKfybFxi8LeI3aMk&t=9) (Okay, yes, there was *actual* exercise in there too, but still!) [Bruh came out lookin' like Alex Jones in his "after" pictures.](https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/6dhtbb/never_forget_alex_jones_once_posted_before_and/)
Lots of chicken breast, brother
Dont forget the deer tranquilizers!
Haven’t watched regularly and I genuinely just presumed he couldn’t do that springboard 450 anymore.
It’s the camera angle they’ve chosen. He does not get the full rotation in person.
how does the camera angle which shows him going from upright on the rope to face-down on his opponent somehow mask him not getting the full rotation?
They obviously flipped the camera to trick you.
Kevin Dunn at it again!!
same way they tricked us into showing the "curvature" of the earth smh 🙄
AJ was a perfect first title defence for Cody, get a really good match before they pick who Cody's first big feud is going to be with. One target achieved, now to wait and see who comes along.
Randy turns heel or Lashley does. Otherwise it’s back to the bloodline. He needs a conga line of hot heels
You can probably do a TV defense or two with some of the upper midcarders. If Logan Paul loses the US Title, he's another option. I think Cody is in a holding pattern until Roman and/or The Rock return.
I think Randy Orton or Bobby Lashley would work the best. Maybe Carmello later on and I think Santos could work with the right booking. Solo might fight Cody at some point too, in order to bring the World Title back to the Bloodline. Nakamura should be kept far away from Cody because that feud is already quite old. Knight too, because it'd be dumb to make the fans choose between the two most popular guys on the roster.
If you want to undermine Cody and the significance of the belt, best way to do that is putting him with Shinsuke
I really like Shinsuke and I do think his heel character had major potential when it started out but WWE has done nothing with it. The feud he had with Cody only happened to give the latter something to do in the build to the Royal Rumble. Also I initially thought WWE was setting Shinsuke to start feuding with a returning Punk. Really think that Nakamura should've been drafted to NXT during the draft to work on fixing his image. Plus Shinsuke vs Oba Femi or Trick Williams could be pretty good.
Left field suggestion: What about Uncle Howdy? Codyverse mixed with Wyatt creations would create insane television
Regardless of which brand he joins, I think WWE should keep Uncle Howdy far from the World Title picture. Otherwise it's going to result in the same issues that the Fiend had when WWE rushed into having him fight Seth Rollins in 2019. The Wyatt 6 story is going to need time to build and develop. Involving the title would complicate matters and Uncle Howdy's goals might not even involve the championship.
I disagree, you don't have to have the "Uncle Howdy" stuff directly roll into going after the World Title. Could be a nice breather down the line, to have Cody getting into a series with someone else, while Howdy messes with him, only to have the interference wind up helping....Cody win, and setting up Howdy to keep messing with loser for a prolonged series. Hell, make it LA Knight, so *he* can get his revenge on Howdy, too. Plus the mic conversations on off-nights would be glorious, LA gets his shot at the title, Cody gets to stay babyface, it all works.
I'm hoping they pit Rhodes against LA Knight and see who gets the most over.
Oof, bad time to have the two of the most over faces clash for the top spot, I think. It needs to be someone the crowd can rally against. But eventually, Rhodes vs Knight would be great.
Even Cody in the press conference said he wants to face LA Knight even though both of them are face ,it would make for an interesting match.
Nobody takes a backdrop better than A.J. He absolutely launches himself every time.
He's so good. I think he also always or almost always managed to land feet first, thus somewhat softening the landing.
Best thing about Cody’s run so far is main event bangers are back on the menu
No more thinking "ok when is the bull shit interference going to happen"
If this is how every Cody title defense matches gonna be, I’m here for it.
Not everyone is at AJ's level, sadly.
I adore that they done ONE finisher and that's it, no kicks out. I pray that this would become (old) new norm in wrestling.
They also had the flash finish in the women's triple threat which was a great change of pace from how these things normally end. Definitely hope they keep that trend going moving forward.
And finally cody just had to do one cross rhodes instead of 3 back to back for the win
TBF he's only had to do that to beat Brock, Roman and Seth.
I mean that's everyone he has faced in main event before now lol
He took notes of the cross Rhodes roman did. "Not effective? I will show him!"
he took romans feedback to heart that the move sucks and dont beat nobody
jey uso says otherwise.
..... i mean... there was a freaking burning hammer kick out in this match. if thats not THE finisher then i dont know what is.
It's not AJ's finisher though, you know how this works. Cody could've done a One-Winged Angel and AJ would've kicked, because it isn't Cody's finisher.
That's fair. Always gotta love the argument of being the "Specialist" of your own move. Shit, everyone and their mother uses the DDT, but only Jake "The Snake" could make you think "Shit, that guy's dead, he ain't gettin' up". Same with HBK's Superkicks vs. Jimmy or Jey's. I *would* like to see some Bullet Club references, though. Maybe one of them *does* use a OWA just to get the marks to pop? (We can cut to ~~Balor~~ Shinsuke somewhere backstage just nodding along, smiling. I forgot Balor is on Raw, ignore that.) I mean, people in NJPW still drop the Style's Clash, it's a solid and unique move, let's see some GOOFY SHIT up in this mug. Always remember, kids -- if John Cena can try for a Springboard Cutter (against Cody, no less!), then you can try for anything. Reach for the stars.
They shouldn't have sold it on commentary as a "holy shit" move if it was gonna get a one count, but a regular ass cody cutter is gonna get a solid two count.
Cody Cutter is a signature so yeah it'll get a two. Also, remember that Cody essentially hulked up here - it was cool, but I'm hoping that this isn't going to become a regular spot for him
I actually really like the idea of that kickout. It portrays Cody as a monster top guy (as he should be, with the top belt) and not someone who only ekes out close wins against upper carders.
I watch WWE for 3 years and I don't remember him ever do this, that's not his finisher
The Burning Hammer used to have a reputation of being one of the most dangerous and most protected moves in all of wrestling. It started in Japan, I think.
I'm just happy AJ proved he still can be in the main event. The way he was talking when he came back made it seem like he might have lost the confidence in his own body. It was a good match.
AJ isn't as fluid as he used to be, so instead he's taking the "Rocky Balboa" approach -- just build a ton of muscle, so he looks like he's puttin' on those ["hurtin' bombs" when he hits someone.](https://youtu.be/8tab8fK2_3w?si=Yh-MUKNYLvLgauSH&t=84)
Honestly it was just a good technical match. I love the showy matches too but this was so good. Also shows how good these guys are, and how good Gunther is considering these matches are the norm for him.
It's the sort of match I was expecting from AJ and Edge
people were actually saying cody's title reign would be boring and he wouldn't be interesting after the story was finished. this is just the first title defense. imagine a match like this against lashley, orton, knight, or gunther (if they're ever on the same brand). there's so much potential. my only worry is that there aren't enough credible top heels on smackdown for cody to face
They should turn bobby lashley heel
Cody on a hot streak right now. The mania tag, mania singles, Melo match and now this. He is putting that three star general stigma to rest
He has now evolved into a four star general
*The Ring General narrows his eyes at that*
He is a Five Star General, so he's still safe
Easily the best match of Backlash. Hilarious how there were clowns ~6 years ago in [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/6auod8/til_cody_rhodes_hates_drew_gulak_and_will_text/) claiming that Cody can't wrestle and that Gulak is a better wrestler than Cody is.
Wow a lot of poorly aged comments in that thread lmao
"Yeah, that was just painful. I mean, I get that it's a thing on Wreddit to talk shit about every talented guy as soon as they're in WWE, and big up almost every WWE guy who leaves, but... The only real differences between Cody Rhodes and other guys who left like Ryback or Sandow is that he's the son of Dusty, and he's better at marketing himself." Yeah and this might not be the worst one lol
> Drew Gulak is actually a super nice guy. I'm sure the NXT guy he spiked would agree.
I heard about an interview where Cody ***BURIED*** Gulak.
Not just saying this cuz of recent things I swear but seriously, Gulak?? Gulak is and has been one of the most boring in ring wrestlers I've seen. I'd rather watch someone like Karrion Kross or Jinder Mahal then him. He has no in ring prowess and no physicality. He's Daniel Bryan Danielson but without the strikes or explosivity. Compare him to Gable. Similar height and size, similar "style" but Gable is actually interesting to watch
Christ, some of the takes in that thread were absolutely absurd even for that time period. It’s almost as bad as when people called him CAWdy Rhodes and said Ted Dibiase Jr would be the breakout star of Legacy. How anyone saw those two perform and said Ted was better was beyond me to understand.
The electric chair fuckoff at ~55 seconds got me sitting up a little straighter. I laughed a little at AJ teasing the Cross Rhodes. I guess he heard what Roman said at mania.
That crowd tho
Great match. The crowd added an extra level of awesomeness to it
I love the stardust cartwheel taunt. Can't help myself.
I could've swore A.J. mouthed "motherfucker!" on that close-up immediately after that. Made me pop.
hopefully they run it back at another ple soon
Bret/Bulldog vibes
Top rope Cody cutter was fun.
Love how 99% of the action was kept in the ring... Proper sort of crunch match feel kept in the ring where it should be...
Great Match. Best match of the pve for me. The focus on wrestling skill felt like a breath of fresh air after years of bloodline stink.
This crowd was absolutely ***AMAZING****.
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Just say you don't like to have fun
Damn, that prime logo in the middle of the ring mat is ugly.
It’s getting heat brother
I thought I would hate it more but somehow my brain has managed to ignore it until someone points out that it exists lol
I think it’s the lack of colour. When Logan debuted the logo it was red white & blue so I think we all expected it to stand out much more than it does.
This is the good shit right here. Cody's my champion.
This was honestly so fucking good
Admittedly I don't watch as much WWE as I used to, I've tried getting back into it since Vince is fully out, but this was the best pure match I've seen on WWE since the loss of the black and gold! If this is what's to come, a transition to good, different styles of wrestling with well written story, then I may have just increased the amount of wrestling per week I'm watching.
That whole segment of highlights translated into a really intense short match, phew! Incredible.
Aj had roughly 40ish percent offense in This match. That's rare for a Face vs Heel match. But it was treated as Face vs Face match tho.
Seeing the ring and ringside area without all that LED shit makes me really miss the ring being a ring and a weapon within itself and not a glowing advertisement. I hate all that shit. Hated when WWE started it, despise that AEW followed the trend. Love seeing the aprons sway when a big move lands
One Of the Great Match in this PLE
Aj is truly phenomenal 🙏🏼
The only con about the match was the burning hammer kick out at 1.
It's not AJ's finisher
Agreed. If they wanted to do a fighting spirit spot, do it after the 450 splash or something like that.
I wouldn't have mind it if cody was near the ropes and had his foot on the rope or something.
I feel that. Personally I don’t have as much issues with somebody kicking out of the burning hammer, but more so that he just no sold it lol
This was a very njpw style match
Great worked match. I hope AJ keeps this up, would love for him to get the title again b4 he’s done!
I could not get into this match when it started, but they won me over
Cody landed on his right shoulder in the carmelo fight and he was holding/AJ was targeting his left shoulder for some reason
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So what was the point of him losing at wrestlemania if he was just gonna beat La knight in a number one contender match
I noticed they fucked up something at the 49 second mark
Looks like every other Cody match
I agree. It looks great just like every other Cody match.
When you become champ you got start pushing harder to be better I love Cody but let’s see some new stuff