Cody Rhodes Thinks His WrestleMania 39 Story Is Just As Important As Sami Zayn's Bloodline Angle

At one point on the "Road to WrestleMania," it was unclear whether Cody Rhodes or Sami Zayn would be tapped to challenge the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in the main event. Despite fans' once raucous demands to see Zayn be the one to dethrone his longtime Bloodline teammate, Rhodes believes his quest for the world title is just as important. Rhodes opened up about the two options during an interview with Sports Illustrated, saying he "really enjoyed everything Sami was doing," and that if things go haywire this weekend and the WrestleMania 39 main event becomes a triple threat, then so be it.

"I'm never afraid of the wave, because riding the wave is so incredibly fun," he said. "I do think when I saw the Elimination Chamber in Montreal and its outcome ... I do think it felt like, 'Okay, that story, that chapter is over and there's a [WrestleMania] chapter that's a different chapter.' Because if you look at Sami and you look at Roman, it was such a personal story. It was so unique and it was so nuanced. And it was long and just a really treasured piece of storytelling. Then if you look at what's happening at WrestleMania, WrestleMania is less about the personal aspect of this. It's more about the thing I've wanted since I was 8 years old."

"And perhaps people forget, maybe they don't and they haven't in terms of this angle, is how special that can be: a guy who really just wants to win and a champion that absolutely doesn't want to lose," Rhodes added. "It makes for a very tough-to-call main event."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Sports Illustrated with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.