Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has revealed his favorite match of his entire career, and in a surprising choice, it’s a match that he lost: the main event of WrestleMania 39 against Roman Reigns.
While speaking with Bill Simmons on The Ringer, Rhodes was asked about his favorite match. He named his unsuccessful challenge against Roman Reigns, explaining that despite the outcome, the feeling in the stadium that night was a career highlight.
“My favorite match is WrestleMania 39, which is the one where (I don’t win),” Rhodes said. “I probably would’ve been pumped to win, certainly, but there is something about that night where things are happening in the stadium that never happen… I couldn’t tell anyone that because it’s the saddest ending, but it’s my favorite match.”
“The American Nightmare” explained that a specific moment during the match, while he was locked in Reigns’ guillotine submission, is what made it so special for him. “I can hear an entire stadium where the sound goes up start to move. I thought, ‘Oh man, they’re into it. How blessed am I that they are into this?’ When it’s that good, it feels completely real,” he recalled. “That acoustic moment for me made it my favorite match of all time.”
Rhodes’ reflection on his WrestleMania 39 loss comes after he has finally “finished the story” and then begun a new one. After being unable to dethrone Roman Reigns, Rhodes eventually went on to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship. This past weekend at SummerSlam, he successfully defended the title against John Cena in a brutal Street Fight, a victory that solidified his place at the very top of the company.