While his sights are firmly set on winning the Men’s Royal Rumble match later this month, Cody Rhodes has had to deal with the antics of Shinsuke Nakamura. The feud between these two has been a bitter one for several weeks, with Nakamura going as far as to “mist” Rhodes outside of a match. On this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, Rhodes and Nakamura were set for the main event, a street match that would hopefully settle things once and for all.
Rhodes won the match in decisive faction at the very end of the show, pinning Nakamura cleanly and without any type of interference or shenanigans. While that will obviously frustrate Nakamura going forward, it may be enough to squash this feud, at least for a little while.
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There was no set up for a future match between the two, nor did something egregious happen that would create space for the victory to be in dispute. Rhodes pinned Nakamura fair and square, which allows him to continue on past that specific rivalry.
Is CM Punk Next for Cody Rhodes?
If this is the end of the line for Cody’s feud with Shinsuke, could CM Punk soon establish himself as the next big name standing between Rhodes and the end of his story? Both Superstars are making a play for a win at the Royal Rumble later this month, with both making promises that they’ll be the last man standing and main event WrestleMania.
There probably isn’t time for a full feud between now and the Royal Rumble, but there’s a long road to WrestleMania ahead. Whatever transpires inside the ring during the Rumble could fuel something between them going forward. Of course, there’s also the matter of Punk calling Rhodes out.
Following his first post-return match at a WWE Live event last month, Punk delivered a promo to the crowd in Madison Square Garden that made some references to Cody Rhodes.
“We are all in this together. When I wake up in the morning and somebody asks me how my day is, I say, ‘Hey, I woke up this morning,’” Punk told the crowd at Madison Square Garden. “Everything else after that, I’m fortunate for. Every day I’m in this ring in front of all of you, I’m fortunate for. I came back to finish what I started. It starts tonight in the world’s most famous arena, in front of you, the greatest fans on earth. I know I’ve got stiff competition, but I’m here to finish what I started. And when I win the Royal Rumble and go on to main event WrestleMania? Ladies and gentlemen I’m here to let you know that isn’t me finishing my story. That’s just me getting started!”
There’s a strong possibility that Punk and Rhodes end up spending some serious time in the ring together during the Royal Rumble. It also feels like there’s a good chance one of them is the last man standing.
