WWE has been giving Cody Rhodes the star treatment ever since he jumped ship from AEW. Cody has made it clear that he has his sights set on becoming a world champion in the company. That push continued last night when WWE introduced the “Cody Countdown” on Monday Night Raw.
Throughout the show, a countdown clock featuring Cody Rhodes’ image appeared and the announcers hyped up his appearance. WWE wants to make Cody feel like a big deal. The reason is that they think it gives the third hour of the show the best shot to score a good television rating.
On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed the Cody Rhodes countdown. Last week on Raw, they pointed out a specific time for viewers to tune in to see Cody. This week, they doubled down with the counter to try and get more eyeballs on the third hour of the show.
“It worked in week one, so you’re going to do it again and with the same guy. Obviously, they believe, of the guys they have, that the one who is the most valuable to focus on to save hour three is Cody Rhodes because they’ve put him in there two weeks in a row.”
Cody Rhodes cut a promo about his evolution as a wrestler. Rhodes then challenged Seth Rollins to a Hell in a Cell match. That bout is likely to main event the upcoming HIAC premium live event in Chicago.
We will have to wait for the ratings to come out to see if the strategy worked. WWE believes they have a legitimate ratings draw with Cody Rhodes. The numbers will ultimately decide whether that is true.
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Transcription by Ringside News