WWE SummerSlam 2012: Where Is the Cody Rhodes/Sin Cara Match?

Sifting through the undercard of tonight's SummerSlam event and trying to figure out just what there is to look forward to, there is a rising storyline on the SmackDown side that is not a part of the event—at least not yet.

Sin Cara and Cody Rhodes are two young superstars that WWE wants to give a lot of exposure to. It has been a rivalry that was just starting up a few weeks ago on SmackDown and could be a nice addition for SummerSlam.

Sin Cara has been a star to whom WWE has tried to give opportunities since he debuted. Cody Rhodes is the future for the company, and his developing character will surely make for a top-tier heel in the coming months. This feud has some grounds that need some developing still, but these are two stars who are too important for the future to ignore from such a big show.

Rhodes used to wear a mask when he had a broken bone in his face. This gave him a clear mask and a new persona. Formerly referring to himself as dashing, Rhodes now saw himself as hideous and used the clear mask to hide his shame, if that makes any sense.

Eventually, the face was healed and Rhodes would get rid of the mask, but not before getting a huge WrestleMania win over Rey Mysterio and an Intercontinental Championship reign.

Sin Cara, on the other hand, has been on a unique journey from the beginnings of the first major signing for Triple H. There were mistake-ridden matches, backstage quarrels and a Wellness Policy violation within months.

Later on in the year, Sin Cara would injure himself at Survivor Series, which took months to fully repair the torn patella he suffered. Now, Sin Cara is back with new gear and a tweaked set of moves. Who knows where Sin Cara fits into plans in regards to titles and accolades? A legitimate feud with someone not named Hunico would be a good start.

In recent weeks, Rhodes has been enamored with the mask of Sin Cara, much like he was with Rey Mysterio earlier in his career. Rhodes sees it as a shield from the true horror that Sin Cara is and sees the mask itself as a way for Sin Cara to put up a phony facade. Rhodes marks the first man to try to remove Sin Cara's mask, unlike Hunico, who simply tried to take Sin Cara's entire gimmick.

Rhodes doesn't have a mask anymore, so a mask vs. mask climax would not work the same way it did when Hunico pretended to be Sin Cara. Rhodes' hair is not significant, either, and there is not one suggestive thing about Rhodes that would be a hindrance for him to remove. If Sin Cara's mask is what Rhodes desires, there are three avenues to go about it with.

The first is pretty simple and includes Rhodes being a champion. Give Cody a title, have Sin Cara chase after it and put the title up against the mask of Sin Cara. Sin Cara can keep his mask and win his first championship in WWE that way, which can launch Sin Cara into that next level of superstars, something WWE is chomping at the bit to do. Sin Cara's merchandise sales are incredible, and this would be a great way to do it.

There was word last year that Sin Cara was going to be a part of WrestleMania as WWE attempted to break a Guinness World Record. The record was going to involve the most fans wearing a lucha mask at one event and could easily be shattered with a Sin Cara WrestleMania mask, especially if masks are given out to ensure the record. So, this could be a feud that ultimately pays off at WrestleMania 29.

Option two would be a bit more drastic and could involve Rhodes' career. A career vs. mask match is intriguing too, but Rhodes is young and still supposed to be a big part of the future in WWE.

Sin Cara needs his mask and Rhodes obviously needs to be in WWE. Unless it is a firing situation that results in a re-hire down the line, this option isn't suitable. Rhodes returning after a firing would be another notch on the belt for fans who are animated about booking logic in WWE.

The third option is the most fun and can bring back the feelings of old-school Attitude Era matches. Fifteen years ago at SummerSlam, an important match saw Bret Hart and The Undertaker wrestle for the then-WWF Championship. Hart needed to win the title or he would vow to never wrestle in the United States again. This was just one of a group of matches that night with "if he doesn't win" stipulations. The most unique one came earlier that night involving Cody Rhodes' half-brother, Goldust.

This was the only match in which one of these stipulations had to stand true. In a match between Goldust and Brian Pillman, Pillman was wrestling for the right to not wear a dress. That is because Goldust's manager, Marlena (known to the rest of the world as Terri Runnels), offered up one of her dresses in a challenge to Pillman. If Pillman lost, he would have to wear the dress until he won another match.

Pillman was on a losing streak and lost that night to Goldust, prompting Pillman to don a dress. Pillman would wear a dress for weeks until finally getting the upper hand of Goldust and challenging him to an "Indecent Proposal" match at the following In Your House pay-per-view, nicknamed Ground Zero.

Pillman offered to leave WWE forever if he lost, while gaining the services of Marlena for 30 days if he won. Pillman won and lengthened the feud. Pillman would be found dead months later, which ultimately ended the feud.

Regardless of the sad and untimely ending of that feud, it is an intriguing idea. Rhodes would be all for a feud like that with ridiculous things done to the loser. Sin Cara could put up his mask and win, forcing Rhodes into some unique situations. Rhodes would get a lot of comedy out of it and pay some dues for a future world title push.

It all has to begin somewhere, and having a match at SummerSlam would have been a nice way to start that up for a lot of people. Those who don't watch SmackDown have no idea of this feud even existing. Even a beat-down by Rhodes where he pulls off Sin Cara's mask, much like he once did to Mysterio, would be interesting and shocking to many.

SummerSlam is the second-biggest show on the calendar, and something interesting like these two young talents would really shine a brighter light into the future for WWE. If this is a feud we will be seeing come the time of Night of Champions and into the fall, light the fire behind it at the massive event of SummerSlam.

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