Welcome to the fifth article in our Wrestlemania preview series. This time around, we're going to take a look at the Intercontinental Championship clash between Cody Rhodes(c) and The Big Show. While it's not the most hyped match on the card, this match still has a solid storyline, giving it some decent potential to be great. So who will walk out of the Sun Life Stadium with the Intercontinental title around his waist (er...well shoulder in Big Show's case)? Find out my thoughts after the jump!
TALE OF THE TAPE
CODY RHODES
Hometown: Marietta, GA
Age: 26
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 215 lb
Finishing Move: Cross Rhodes, Beautiful Disaster
Accomplishments: Intercontinental Champion, 4x Tag Team Champion, Slammy Award winner
Wrestlemania Record: 1-1
THE BIG SHOW
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Age: 40
Height: 7'
Weight: 441 lb
Finishing Move: The Chokeslam, WMD
Accomplishments: 4x World Champion (2 WWE, 1 World Heavyweight, 1 ECW), United States Champion, 8x Tag Team Champion, Hardcore Champion, 2x Slammy Award winner, 3 Wrestlemania Main Events
Wrestlemania Record: 3-8
My Take: While Cody Rhodes likes to point out The Big Show's failures at Wrestlemania, the giant has main evented the PPV three times. Cody suffered an embarrassing loss against Randy Orton in a handicap match back in 2009 and has yet to prove himself at the big event. I do believe his great performance last year in a winning effort against Rey Mysterio, gave him a ton of momentum and kicked off the best run of his career, but while Big Show has racked up a ton of losses, many of them were high profile matches, and that is what really matters.
I'd give The Big Show a little edge after reviewing their stats, but that doesn't guarantee him a victory on April 1st. In fact if history should repeat itself, he may walk out with another embarrassing Wrestlemania moment. That said, who REALLY has the advantage going into their biggest match of the year? Let's turn to our faithful ESSENTIAL categories to decide.
Fan Base
Cody Rhodes has yet to truly gain the support of the WWE Universe. For the majority of his career, he has either been a devious heel or a lackey to one. Many will probably scoff at this statement and say the same thing about Big Show, but currently, he possesses one of the largest fan bases on the WWE roster.
Advantage: Big Show
Match Strategy
The Big Show has definitely gotten a hell of a lot wiser in his tenure with the WWE. Still, he'll never be mentioned among the company's most cerebral competitors. The guy wins 90% of his matches by using brawn over brains. Arguably, this is why he is a bit of an underachiever for someone with his natural gifts. Cody Rhodes is highly competitive and he is slowly coming into his own as one of the WWE's best psychologists. All credit aside, he is still a bit too ambitious and overconfident and he will have to keep himself in check if he plans on conquering the biggest threat to his IC title to date.
Advantage: Neither
Focus
Cody Rhodes appears to have had his sights set on the world's largest athlete for a while now. He is a bit of a thrill seeker in terms of making a name for himself, constantly looking for the next accomplishment for his already impressive resume. Big Show on the other hand, is fresh off two feuds and Daniel Bryan is still a giant (pun intended) thorn in his side. He may not realize it yet, but Rhodes has been playing him like....well, like The Big Show. He has a history of being baited into situations that could have been avoided if it weren't for his massive temper. In fact many of his embarrassing mania moments (such as his Wrestlemania 24 match with Floyd Mayweather) started off pretty much the same way, with a smaller opponent manipulating him.
Advantage: Rhodes
Ring Presence
Rhodes is one of the most promising talents on the WWE roster. His confidence and growth over the past year leave him with no rivals among the other up and coming superstars. Come April 1, he will be stepping in the ring with a man 10 inches taller and more than twice his weight. The same man can knock most people out with a single punch. Watching his recent promos, it's safe to say that Cody is underestimating just how dangerous The Big Show really is, giving Show the ultimate advantage here.
Advantage: Big Show
Momentum
Over the last year The Big Show has feuded primarily with two men, Mark Henry and Daniel Bryan. It's safe to say that he never really gained a definitive advantage in either situation. He is still incredibly popular, but his aura has lost it's luster. Cody Rhodes may have not had a banner year in terms of big victories, but his 200+ day reign as IC Champ is quite the impressive feat given the hot potato nature of the WWE's title scene. Win or lose, no one has been able to take that belt away from him, and I highly doubt Big Show has enough confidence to do it either.
Advantage: Rhodes
Conditioning
Really? Are you serious? Do you really need me to spell this one out for you?
Fine...
Advantage: R-H-O-D-E-S
Toughness
Cody Rhodes has contested in some hard fought matches against D-X and Randy Orton, but he won't be mentioned in anybody's list of the WWE's biggest badasses. I mean c'mon, the guy practically needed therapy after having his nose broken. Big Show however, knows a thing or two about punishment. To put things in perspective for you, how would Cody have reacted to having his face practically destroyed by Floyd Maywaether? Yeah.....this one is easy.
Advantage: Big Show
Desire
By my estimation, Cody Rhodes is the hungriest young superstar in the WWE. He has a ton of ability and he is as eager as anyone to reach main event status. While Big Show may not be the most successful competitor in the company, he is already a proven commodity. He is beloved by men, women and children alike and has become both literally and figuratively, a larger-than-life attraction. To most people, this would be enough, to Big Show, he feels he still has something to prove at the sport's grandest stage. He has never had his "Wrestlemania moment", and that alone, may be enough to give him the edge here.
Advantage: Big Show
Repertoire
Big Show has improved immensely as a wrestler and I feel most people don't give him enough credit for this. That being said, in the ring, Cody Rhodes has almost every possible advantage a guy can have. He is younger, faster, smarter and more well-rounded, all traits that will prove useful in breaking Big Show down. As long as he can avoid Show's grasp, he has all the tools he needs to maintain complete control of the match.
Advantage: Rhodes
Quality of Competition
This is an interesting one for me. Cody Rhodes can lay claim to defeating Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Booker T, Ezekiel Jackson, and Rey Mysterio. He has proven that he is better when underestimated, but his list of opponents pales in comparison to The Big Show's. Show has faced legends such as The Rock, Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Edge, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, John Cena and many more. On paper, it's easy to say Big Show has the advantage here, but I feel the need to note that since his arrival in the WWE, he has yet to capitalize on his potential. He has not gained any major victories over any of these superstars. In fact the last time he faced an upstart for a secondary title at Wrestlemania, he helped propel a little superstar by the name of John Cena to superstardom. It's safe to say that Show is always the bridesmaid and never the bride. When we usually run through this category, we highlight each superstars milestone victories. The Big Show has proven that it is HE that is in fact the WWE's resident milestone, often helping undersized talent reach greater levels of success by being the Goliath to many a WWE superstar's David.
Advantage: Rhodes
Final Thoughts:
I hate to be so tough on The Big Show, but let's face facts, he joins the ranks of superstars like Mark Henry and Kane, who throughout their long tenures in the company, would find success, but would never achieve as much as they should have given their physically imposing nature and intimidating presence. Cody Rhodes is poised to become yet another superstar who will eclipse the combined achievements of all three men when it is all said and done. And like John Cena before him, he will begin with career making win over the Big Show.
Overall Advantage: Cody Rhodes
Great article and will be a surprise bomber match.
ReplyDelete