Cody and Brandi Rhodes reminds of Marc Mero and Sable

Cody and Brandi Rhodes – Photo Credit: Impact Wrestling via Pop TV/Anthem

What’s the end goal in this Cody/Moose feud? To make us cheer for Brandi Rhodes kayfabe leaving her husband for Moose? Serious Sable and Marc Mero vibes…

Instead of establishing the popular NJPW Bullet Club connection, Cody is slowly being presented as a bad husband heel. Is it so good for his career? Time will tell of course, but it didn’t quite work out for ‘Wildman’ Marc Mero in the WWF eventually. Though it was a memorable storyline of the Attitude era, the ‘bad boyfriend’ character label stuck with fans. Stifling future face potential.

As Jim Cornette tells in a Kayfabe Commentaries’ shoot interview, the booking team back in the office was absolutely infatuated with Sable’s beauty. It seems like one of the reasons they brought in Mero was to also indirectly sign a then unknown Sable.

At first Mero played the babyface rescuing Sable from a jealous Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Sable played Triple H’s valet at the time). Kind of similar to the role that Moose is playing now… Except Moose is not married to Brandi in real life, Cody is and fans know this. The internet age means fans are smart to such kayfabe. Indirectly hurting this storyline.

Mero’s character in the WWF took a turn as ‘Marvelous Marc Mero’ as a boxer (hinting at violent overtones) to a jealous of Sable’s popularity gimmick. What did Cody do this week on Impact Wrestling? Come out to interrupt his wife’s very first one on one match. Setting him up for a narrative where he is jealous of his wife’s ‘babyface popularity’.

Eventually Sable became the lead star and Mero was figuratively ‘carrying her bags’ by the end of his run in the WWF according to Cornette.

The ‘insecure, jealous’ label would be stuck to Mero as a wrestler for pretty much the rest of his career. Though he revived his old Johnny B. Badd gimmick in TNA, ‘Marvelous’ Marc Mero is what’s he’s remembered for. Every passing week of Impact is making Cody out to be jealous of his wife’s spotlight. Now, Impact does not get the same kind of viewership as the WWE, so it might not stick forever. However, these kind of characterizations are difficult to shake in the long-term. One must wonder, how does it serve Cody’s long term goals of reestablishing himself?

There are three ways this storyline can potentially end for Cody.

1) Brandi Rhodes turns heel, cheap shots Moose giving Cody the win in a final match of the feud. Recalling Stephanie McMahon/Triple H back in the day. This is the best way to get everyone involved over tremendously. As Cody and Brandi Rhodes would be majorly over as heels while Moose stays face with the crowd.

There seems to be some kind theme lately in wrestling where the booking teams expect us to cheer for a face flirting with a heel’s wife. The same thing happened in the Rusev/Enzo Amore WWE storyline. Why exactly was Rusev, the heel for being angry that Enzo was trying to get with his wife?

The same applies here, why should fans cheer Moose exchanging numbers with Brandi Rhodes in this narrative? Just because Cody is suppose to be a heel so he’s automatically ‘jealous/insecure’ for not playing naive/’cool’?

2) A Macho Man Randy Savage / Ms. Elizabeth-like popularity surge in the mainstream. This is the most unlikely scenario. Cody is not yet an established mainstream act like Randy Savage was and is now known still to a majority of fans as Stardust. Every storyline counts, especially without the WWE’s marketing machine promoting him everywhere to fans.

3) Brandi Rhodes tires of Cody’s ‘jealous’ ways and leaves him, maybe becomes Moose’s valet, is singles wrestler in Women’s division. Mero/Sable story redux in many ways. The most obvious and predictable storyline end. Bullet Club signs Cody’s been throwing around lately fall to white noise background as Brandi Rhodes becomes an ultra babyface. Goes by just Brandi.

At best after the feud’s conclusion, Cody can only go back to being a face by ‘begging forgiveness’ on air. Otherwise he is known as the ‘jealous bad husband’ instead of a leading heel Bullet Club stable member. This is the storyline that will probably play out, so again what’s the end goal here? At least as Cody goes… It’s not an everyday feud.

Note: You can find full-length Kayfabe Commentaries Shoot Interviews over at Highspots.com

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