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Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle Thinks Roman Reigns’ Dominance Is Hurting WWE
The Olympic gold medalist posited that Cody Rhodes failed to reach the next level at WrestleMania.
The wrestling world is still reeling from the results of WrestleMania – and even WWE Hall of Famers are calling out Cody Rhodes’ failure to capture the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Kurt Angle Thinks Roman Reigns’ Title Reign is Too Long
When speaking on his podcast, multi-time WWE Champion Kurt Angle isn’t shy about discussing all things WWE. No topic is off limits on his show, as he frequently gives his outspoken opinion on match results, storylines and even WWE Superstars. On a recent episode of "The Kurt Angle Show", the Hall of Famer declared the results of the main event of WrestleMania to be a rare missed opportunity for all parties involved.
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“I’m not gonna beat up on Roman Reigns because he is the man and deserves to be, but you know, we’re in a time now where if you’re champion for three years, it’s a little long,” Angle confessed. “It’s too long because we’re not in territories anymore – when you weren’t on TV every week. Now, Roman Reigns looks like he’ll hold the title for another few years. The thing is, he’s on TV every week, sometimes twice a week, and then pay-per-view every month. It’s just a lot.”
Kurt Angle isn’t wrong – three years is a long time for anybody to be on top of WWE, and it’s a topic we’ve covered at USA Insider. However, Angle has been out of the game for a while now, and any savvy member of the WWE Universe knows that the WWE, currently dominated by Reigns, is far removed from the WWE that Kurt Angle found success in more than 20 years ago. Times change, and sometimes a long-term champion is precisely what fans clamor for, as long as the storylines can support it.
According to Kurt Angle, Cody Rhodes Isn’t a Mega-Star
Still, Angle thinks Cody Rhodes could have reached a new level had he successfully captured the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. He warns that WWE could suffer shortly by not “finishing the story.”
“I don’t really believe the ratings are going to go down, but I do believe some people are going to lose interest because they’re not making other wrestlers,” he said. “Roman had an opportunity to make a wrestler. He could have made Cody into a mega-star. Cody is already a star, but he would have been a mega-star if he won at WrestleMania. That’s just my opinion.”
We have to politely disagree with the Olympic gold medalist. Even in a loss, Cody Rhodes’ performance was nothing less than mega-star-making:
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What’s Next For Roman Reigns?
While we’re sure Cody Rhodes hasn’t lost any credibility in the eyes of the WWE Universe, Angle does bring up an interesting topic.
If Cody couldn’t get the job done at WrestleMania, if Cody failed at the single most significant point of his professional wrestling career, then who will be the one to finally end the most dominant championship run in modern-day WWE history? Rhodes went through hell and back to get a crack at the title on his own personal Road to WrestleMania. From returning from his devastating pectoral injury suffered in 2022 to winning the 2023 Royal Rumble, he never strayed off-track from his mission.
The WWE Universe is shocked that he did not leave WrestleMania the champion. Angle’s podcast comments now have everybody wondering what’s next for Cody, and what’s next for Roman and the championship he’s held for nearly 1,000 days. It will be interesting to see who steps up to the plate from RAW and SmackDown, especially considering that Cody seems preoccupied with Brock Lesnar. Only time will tell which Superstar will challenge for the title next. Still, we wouldn’t blame anybody for hesitating to stand in Reigns’ way after the Tribal Chief’s dominant showing at WrestleMania.
Angle’s comments have us thinking, though. Perhaps the WWE Universe has been looking at things from the wrong perspective.
We may be focusing on the wrong story. Maybe it was never about Cody Rhodes’ story. Perhaps it’s been about Roman Reigns’ story this whole time.
And maybe Roman’s story is nowhere close to being finished.
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