BY SACNILK

The main event of WWE WrestleMania 39 - night two left many fans flabbergasted as they watched Cody Rhodes fall short in his bid to dethrone Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title. It was widely believed that Rhodes was a shoo-in to claim the coveted title, which made the outcome all the more surprising. ## Currently, the two formidable stars are plying their trade on separate brands, with Reigns and Rhodes remaining on Raw and SmackDown, respectively. With a new World Heavyweight Champion set to be crowned on May 27 at Night of Champions, Rhodes now has a fresh opportunity to contend for the top title in WWE Raw. ## During an interview with ComicBook Nation, Rhodes was questioned about Paul Heyman's recent comments regarding how he needed to face such adversity before he could triumph over Reigns. In response, Rhodes acknowledged that Heyman was aware of his tendency to be reactionary and that he always attempts to do things that people say he cannot accomplish. ## He highlighted how WrestleMania 39 was the most profitable event of all time, emphasizing that a win is a win and a loss is a loss. He also noted that he has refrained from whining about his defeat on television, exhibiting a remarkable level of poise and maturity. ## "The goal is the same, is the best way to put it. The goal is the same for me as a sports entertainer, as a wrestler. I came here wanting one thing. It doesn't mean other stories won't happen that will also be finished, and it doesn't mean there aren't other milestones. We're talking about good things like video game covers, but the important thing to me is still the championship on Roman's shoulders, and it's the biggest match that WWE could do. But it would take a great deal of mountains to be moved for that rematch to even happen. The goal is the same for me,” Rhodes stated. “I just have to see it through and do the work.” ## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.

BY SACNILK

The WWE Universe was left in awe as Roman Reigns successfully defended his Undisputed WWE Universal Title against Cody Rhodes in a thrilling main event at WrestleMania 39 in LA. While some questioned the outside interference from Solo Sikoa, Paul Heyman, The Usos, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn, one legendary wrestler had nothing but praise for the match's finish. ## Stone Cold Steve Austin, a former WWE Champion and one of the most iconic wrestlers of all time, recently spoke with Sports Illustrated about the bout. He described the match's build-up as perfect and the ending as "magnificent." Austin went as far as to personally text those involved in the match to convey his appreciation for their performances. ## With Reigns cementing his status as one of WWE's most dominant champions and Cody Rhodes proving himself to be a formidable challenger, this match will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the greatest WrestleMania main events of all time. And with Stone Cold Steve Austin himself giving it his stamp of approval, it's clear that this was a truly remarkable and unforgettable moment in the world of professional wrestling. ## “I loved the finish,” says Austin. “I loved all of it. Roman is so good right now. The story was there—Cody coming back from injury, coming back into the fold after he left from AEW, and putting himself in the position he’s in now, overcoming all this adversity as part of one of the most famous wrestling families that’s ever been in the business, and trying to finish the story against Roman.” ## Austin added, “I watched both nights of WrestleMania 39 very intently. To me, you can’t take that belt off Roman right now. You want to get it to Cody somehow, someway, some time—but now’s not the time.”## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.

BY SACNILK

According to Brian James, aka Road Dogg, who is currently a WWE Executive and also a Hall of Famer, the decision for Roman Reigns to retain the WWE Universal Championship against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39 was a strategic one for the company. James stated in a recent episode of his podcast 'Oh...You Didn't Know?' that a victory for Rhodes would not have been a smart business move. ## James explained that the storyline leading up to the match was focused on Rhodes' desire to fulfill his father Dusty Rhodes' legacy and claim the top prize in WWE. However, he believes that the outcome of the match was not the end of Rhodes' title chase, but rather the closing of a chapter in his story. James implied that Rhodes may have more opportunities in the future to pursue the championship, and a victory at WrestleMania 39 may not have allowed for further storylines to develop. ## James also mentioned that from a business standpoint, keeping the title on Reigns, who was portrayed as a dominant and top heel (villainous character) at the time, was a strategic decision to maintain his momentum and elevate his status as a top champion in the company. He added that sometimes, in the wrestling business, unexpected outcomes and decisions are made to create drama, suspense, and future opportunities for storytelling. ## “The argument is a legitimate one to go back now that history has told that story and go, ‘Okay. Should he have got it then? Should he won it then?’ Like, man, I don’t think that’s smart business. I think that’s great booking if you’re a fan, but I don’t think it’s smart business. If you tell the story and go, ‘The end,’ close the book. Then, ‘Okay, now we got to start over,’ I just feel like this was just a chapter closing. ## He came in, and this has been said by some people that speak about wrestling that kinda know what they’re talking about, he came in, and he had no adversity. He went right through the Rumble, right through everybody, and right to the champion. So the argument could be made, ‘Man if you just give it to him now, did he earn it?’ ## Yes, he has over the extension of his career, for sure, if you can tell that whole story, and they have tried to tell that whole story as much as they could if you see in the promos, they talk a lot about what all he’s done because that’s a really cool part of his story is what he has accomplished in this industry. By himself, you know what I mean? Like, I mean, yes, he’s had some help. Yes, his father was a wrestler, his brother, all that. Man, he came in and changed the game a little bit, and kudos to him for that. ## So really, it’s a bigger picture conversation. Whether he has the title around his waist right now or not, let’s just stop and think about what Cody’s done and accomplished from a human standpoint. Holy mackerel, this dude’s an entrepreneur in the industry of sports entertainment, and that has never existed before.” ## H/T: Fightful for the above transcription ## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.

BY SACNILK

As per Wrestlenomics' Brandon Thurston, the viewership figures for the April 10 episode of WWE Raw indicate an average of 1.818 million viewers, which reflects a significant 22% decrease compared to the previous Monday's average of 2.260 million viewers. ## The show's performance in the 18 to 49 demographic also showed a notable decline, with a rating of 0.59, compared to last week's 0.76 demo rating, according to Brandon Thurston's report on Wrestlenomics. ## Despite the drop in ratings, the April 10 episode of WWE Raw managed to retain its top position in Showbuzz Daily's list of the 150 cable originals. ## WWE Raw last night on USA Network (8-11pm):1,818,000 viewersP18-49 rating: 0.59#1 cable original in P18-49 for Monday📊 https://t.co/qDSSxyAPtr pic.twitter.com/WlKUENbODg— Wrestlenomics (@wrestlenomics) April 11, 2023 ## In a tumultuous main event on Raw, Sami Zayn and Matt Riddle made a dramatic entrance after experiencing travel delays, just in the nick of time to aid Kevin Owens in fending off a brutal 3-on-1 assault by The Usos and Solo Sikoa. The chaotic showdown left the audience on the edge of their seats. ## Adding to the night's excitement, Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan pulled off a stunning victory, capturing the coveted WWE Women's Tag Team Titles from none other than the formidable duo of Becky Lynch and WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. The unexpected win was a remarkable achievement for the newly formed team. ## As if that wasn't enough, Cody Rhodes, a prominent wrestling star, boldly issued a challenge to none other than the ferocious Brock Lesnar for a highly anticipated match at the upcoming WWE Backlash event. ## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.