Sunday Notes: Reigns-Rhodes segment foreshadows WWE’s future

Plus Bryan Danielson on the AEW title, a look at the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, and a new series on Netflix

Picked-up pieces while still in awe of the Cody Rhodes-Roman Reigns segment on SmackDown…

• Pre-recorded segments do not have the best history in professional wrestling. After this Friday’s SmackDown, perhaps that is destined to change.

Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns combined for a spectacular segment at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the oldest on-campus stadium in Division I NCAA football. It is home to Georgia Tech, where Reigns played his college football, and the backdrop was the picturesque Atlanta skyline, which is a wrestling city synonymous with the Rhodes family.

Courtesy WWE

As superb as this was, it was atypical for a wrestling segment. It didn’t feel like Rhodes or Reigns were acting, which is a credit to both. The background music and editing further built the tension between the two, who are teaming together in Atlanta on October 5 at Bad Blood in a tag match against Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu.

Make no mistake: this was a test run for new content on Netflix.

Rhodes and Reigns are not necessarily close. That isn’t a bad thing–plenty of people aren’t best friends with all their colleagues. There is a mutual respect between the two men, who have both dedicated their lives to professional wrestling. And there are too many similarities for them not to respect one another: Rhodes watched from afar as Reigns built himself into a megastar, and Reigns saw how Rhodes evolved into a bigger star with each passing year from WrestleMania 38 to WrestleMania 39 to WrestleMania 40, which will forever be known as Rhodes’ crowning moment. Two sons of wrestling icons, who both admired their older brothers’ success, there are far more similarities than differences between Rhodes and Reigns.

That is also where the divide exists: this isn’t a storyline or a script. Both want to be WWE champion. There is no greater honor in the company, possibly the world, especially with the company operating in a boom and headed toward more prominence on Netflix.

A unique element to the segment–one that we had yet to witness–was Rhodes wearing the belt while Reigns did not. For two years, it was Rhodes chasing Reigns. The tables have turned, making it fascinating to see Rhodes dictate the pacing of this segment as the champ, literally and figuratively standing in Reigns’ way.

Looking ahead at Bad Blood, it is far too early to have Jacob Fatu take a loss. If the goal is to continue building Sikoa into a monster heel, then he should also be protected. So who is taking the loss in the tag match? My guess is Rhodes, likely after taking a spear–maybe accidentally, maybe not–from Reigns.

Shame on anyone who doubted Paul Heyman. Just like he said over a year ago, multiple innings remain to be played in The Bloodline saga.

• Trivia: Name the two opponents CM Punk has defeated in a Hell in a Cell match (answer below).

CM Punk/WWE

• There are wrestlers so enamored with being champion that they take the title to bed with them.

Bryan Danielson, however, is not one who engages in that practice.

“I don’t need to sleep with it,” said Danielson, who broke into laughter at the mere notion. “I’d much rather be sleeping with my wife. Can you imagine if this big, heavy championship was between us? She’d make me go sleep on the couch.”

Bryan Danielson/AEW

Danielson’s wife is Brie Garcia, who played an integral role in WWE beside her sister Nikki as the Bella Twins. She sat ringside in London at All In when Danielson won the AEW world title at Wembley Stadium, cheering on her husband with their two children.

Late in the match, as a bloody Danielson was on the receiving end of a prolonged beating from Swerve Strickland, the action took place directly in front of the Danielson children. That was the moment when Danielson questioned whether he made the right decision in bringing them to the match.

“When I’m bleeding and getting beaten in front of my kids, that was the part of the match where I thought, ‘Oh no, I’ve made a huge mistake,’” said Danielson. “It was after Swerve stomped my face in right in front of the kids. Nana was dancing, and Swerve yelled at them. Then I go in the ring, and when I looked over, there’s my daughter with her head down crying, I thought, ‘Oh no.’

“When I made my comeback, I looked over and saw she was excited, so we were back on the right track.”

Danielson was delighted that his family was able to enjoy the trip to London. There were instances where he had AEW commitments and couldn’t be with them, and he listened with joy as his wife and children discussed their travels.

“My wife is such a superstar wife and mom,” said Danielson. “We had an Airbnb in Kensington, and she planned so many fun things with the kids. She was incredible. On Saturday, we agreed I’d stay at the talent hotel. Brie was with them, and she is such a rock star as a mom and a wife. All trip, I kept telling her, ‘I’m so lucky to have you.’ She is amazing.”

After Danielson won the title, he celebrated the victory in the ring with his family. That euphoria spilled into the next day.

“I didn’t have media the next morning like I did 10 years ago when I won the belt after WrestleMania 30 or Raw the next night, so that was different,” said Danielson. “This time, I didn’t sleep well. My body was in a decent amount of pain. But the kids were happy, we went on some adventures in London, and it was just great.”

• Does anyone else feel that Tom Aspinall will be the one challenging Jon Jones when the UFC comes to Madison Square Garden this November?

Jones is currently slated to defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on November 16 in NYC. Miocic is an all-time UFC great, but the 42-year-old has not competed in the Octagon since getting knocked out by Francis Ngannou in March of 2021.

This bout was supposed to take place last November, but a pectoral injury forced Jones to withdraw. Jones won the belt in March of 2023, which marked his first fight since February of 2020.

Aspinall is the new face of the heavyweight division. He sports a charming personality and vicious power, quite a combination. There is no guarantee he would defeat Jones–despite some impressive victories, Aspinall has never faced anyone as multidimensional or elite as Jones.

Tom Aspinall/UFC

Given the chance that Jones retires after his bout against Miocic (and is there really any doubt as to who is going to win?), the time is now to put him against Aspinall.

• The highly anticipated Netflix documentary series Mr. McMahon premieres on Wednesday. But if you’re seeking your pro wrestling fix on Netflix, look no further than The Queen of Villains.

Netflix is airing a semi-autobiographical drama on Dump Matsumoto. I’m still in the early stages of watching, but the first two episodes were fantastic.

Punk/WWE

• Trivia answer: After losing his first three times inside Hell in a Cell, CM Punk defeated Ryback in 2012 in a Hell in a Cell match before beating Ryback and Paul Heyman in a two-on-one Hell in a Cell bout the following year.