WWE decided not to surprise fans with Cody Rhodes at the Royal Rumble, but his entering the match from the 30th spot was an interesting choice, to say the least. Conquering babyfaces don’t usually enter battle royal matches last. It’s a spot that can appear to be “gifted” from the company if given to the wrong person, and No. 30 is typically a spot reserved for heels or, you know, Brock Lesnar. Yet as the Royal Rumble rolled on, The American Nightmare was nowhere to be seen. After Logan Paul entered at No. 29, it became clear that 30 would be Cody Rhodes. He received an excellent response from those in attendance at the Alamodome, but why did WWE take this unconventional approach with the eventual winner?
In the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer explained why this call might have been made. Believe it or not, Sami Zayn may have had something to do with it. “While it wasn’t the perfect babyface move to have the heel start 56:30 earlier than the babyface when they were the final two, or the booking where Rhodes was basically gifted No. 30, putting anyone else at No. 30 would have likely led to a very bad reaction live because it wasn’t Zayn. Rhodes was the guy they felt they could count on to quell any negativity from the fans. Zayn should not have been in the Rumble if he wasn’t going to win it, because that would only get people who wanted him in the main event spot madder.” The Royal Rumble is being hailed as a classic, so it seems like Triple H and Co. hit the nail on the head with this choice.
Gunther & Cody Rhodes Left The Royal Rumble Looking Like Stars
While WWE might have booked the No. 1 and 30 spots in reverse, both Gunther and Cody Rhodes exited the Royal Rumble looking like absolute world beaters. The current Intercontinental Champion broke the record for most time spent in a Rumble match, lasting a remarkable hour and 11 minutes. He was involved in various memorable spots, including a stare-down with Brock Lesnar, and could be positioned as one of the top stars in the company after WrestleMania 39. He’s already become a staple on SmackDown, along with Imperium.
Rhodes is already there in terms of star power, and his program with Roman Reigns has a good chance to be a feud-of-the-year candidate. There’s a natural, captivating story to be told there. While Cody had to split away from WWE to earn respect, Roman has been the handpicked top guy for almost a decade. Consider this: the last time Roman Reigns was pinned clean was the same week that AEW Dynamite aired for the 11th time… ever. That’s how long The Head of the Table has held his spot. Cody Rhodes is gunning for it now and can do so after cleaning up at the Royal Rumble.
In hindsight, having Rhodes enter at 30 was a bit of a gamble by WWE. The odds were good that he’d be well received, but no one in the arena knew that Sami Zayn wasn’t going to be in the Royal Rumble match. That was made clear to the at-home audience during the pre-show. Pushing back against crowd favorites has backfired in the past. Batista winning the 2014 edition of the event immediately comes to mind. WWE fans wanted Daniel Bryan to win that match so badly that they even booed Rey Mysterio. Who boos Rey Mysterio? However, this year’s booking went off without a hitch, and Rhodes will clash with Reigns at WrestleMania 39.
