WWE's Tricky Road Ahead With Cody Rhodes, Bronson Reed's Big Moment, More Quick Takes

The returns of Cody Rhodes and Bronson Reed highlighted a fairly straightforward Saturday Night's Main Event and added to the excitement surrounding WWE's upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

Rhodes rekindling his rivalry with John Cena and challenging him to a tag team match at the event was a logical move, but WWE must tread carefully with The American Nightmare going forward. His rush return to television could ultimately backfire if the company isn't careful.

The endgame has always been Rhodes regaining the Undisputed WWE Championship from Cena, ideally at Saturday Night's Main Event in Atlanta on July 12 or at SummerSlam the subsequent month. How fans will react to him being back in that top spot and dethroning Cena in the process remains to be seen, however.

Reed is also in a prime position to shine now that he's formed an alliance with Bron Breakker, Paul Heyman and his former rival Seth Rollins. The 2024 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner was picking up major steam prior to his injury late last year and will now be involved with the biggest storyline on Raw.

This installment of Quick Takes will examine Reed's role, AEW trending in the right direction at the right time, what NBA all-star Tyrese Haliburton's recent Raw appearance means for the future, and more.

Cody Rhodes Must Tread Carefully with Crowd Reactions

For the better part of the past three years, Cody Rhodes has been beloved as a babyface, even while simultaneously being aggressively pushed by WWE. It would have been easy for fans to turn on him following his loss to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, but the audience ended up rallying behind him that much more and erupted when he won the Undisputed WWE Championship at the next year's installment.

It wasn't all that surprising that a small segment of fans began booing him heading into WrestleMania 41, if only because his adversary John Cena is in his final year and has always been a polarizing figure. The mixed reaction was again evident during their 'Mania match, leaving the world to wonder how he'd be received upon returning.

Sure enough, the Tampa crowd gave him a hero's welcome when he showed up in the closing moments of Saturday Night's Main Event. The real test will be as he continues to feud with Cena and chase him for his championship.

Inevitably, Rhodes will be a heel and an outstanding at that based on the many years he spent as a heel earlier in his career. The time for that isn't now after everything WWE has invested into him as the face of the franchise.

He can remain over with a majority of the audience provided his booking doesn't make him out to look inferior to Cena or too invincible. Cena's heel turn shouldn't have the opposite effect by worsening Rhodes' relationship with the fans once their rivalry has run its course.

Early Card Projections for Evolution 2

Following months of speculation and years of fans waiting, the next installment of Evolution was officially announced by WWE during Saturday Night's Main Event for July 13 in Atlanta.

The only other Evolution event was held in October 2018 and was met with critical acclaim. The women's division has come so far since then that it's only appropriate that they be spotlighted at a sequel.

Anything can change in the coming weeks, but a few matchups already appear to be a lock for the card Iyo Sky vs. Rhea Ripley for the Women's World Championship. Ripley doesn't need to win the women's Money in the Bank briefcase to earn another opportunity, but her having yet to beat Sky one-on-one is enough of a story to build off of.

On the SmackDown side, Evolution should be where Jade Cargill and Naomi settle their score once and for all, ideally in some sort of a stipulation match such as a Street Fight. That bad blood has been brewing all year and deserves a significant stage to be blown off at.

The heated rivalry between Becky Lynch and Women's Intercontinental champion Lyra Valkyria should escalate at the event, while Giulia secures the Women's United States Championship from Zelina Vega.

Per Wrestling Observer Live, WWE may be interested in working with Ronda Rousey again, but no match would be worth bringing her back for, even at Evolution. WWE Hall of Famers Trish Stratus and Nikki Bella would make more sense, but who they'd be up against is known.

With the vast amount of female talent on the active roster, WWE shouldn't be restricted to a small match card per usual, especially with any number of names who could be a part of it from NXT, TNA and AAA.

AEW Is Trending in the Right Direction at the Right Time

WWE continues to do big business and produce strong shows, yet fan frustration with the product is arguably the worst it's been since Triple H first assumed the role of Head of Creative three years ago. Overloading on the amount of premium live events and prioritizing quantity over quality has hardly helped matters.

Much like it was in 2019, that's an opportunity AEW can and has capitalized on.

Dynamite and Collision are far from must-see television on a regular basis, but the monthly pay-per-views never cease to deliver, specifically from an in-ring standpoint. That was once again the case with Double or Nothing 2025, which featured a slew of stellar matchups and exciting moments.

More importantly, the road to All In on July 12 is much clearer than it was prior to Double or Nothing and that will give plenty for fans to look forward to as the summer season gets underway imminently.

All In has been AEW's biggest and best pay-per-view of the year since its inception and the 2025 installment should be equally monumental. In addition to the end of the The Death Riders' time on top, the event should mark the kickoff to the company's next era in general.

The overall lack of direction with AEW hindered their momentum for the longest time, but if the events that transpired at Double or Nothing were any indication, the company can excel as the ultimate alternative to WWE when it wants to and remind viewers of its strengths when it matters most.

Looking Ahead to Potential Roles for Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson in WWE

NBA Pacers all-star Tyrese Haliburton drew the ire of some wrestling fans who considered his pre-taped appearance on the May 19 edition of Raw a waste of television time, but in reality, WWE was wise to capitalize on the buzz he has at the moment in the middle of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Haliburton previously appeared for WWE on the June 28, 2024 edition of SmackDown in Madison Square Garden and made headlines for his in-ring confrontation with Knicks standout Jalen Brunson. Revisiting that viral moment in the form that they did could be a sign of what's to come.

There are several Superstars who are in desperate need of meaningful television time at the moment and focusing on athletes such as Haliburton and Bronson takes away from them, but it does have its benefits if executed carefully.

The biggest NBA-centric match most wrestling fans remember is Karl Malone and Diamond Dallas Page vs. Dennis Rodman and Hulk Hogan from Beach at the Beach 1998. WCW's decision to build off their buzz from the NBA Finals that year translated to major momentum for the company, and WWE doing something similar with Haliburton and Brunson if they're available and up for it could be just as big for WWE if the interest from fans and mainstream media is there.

It shouldn't come at the expense of the roster or the on-air product, but having them run it back inside the squared circle in some capacity the next time WWE is in either New York City or Indianapolis could be WWE's very own version of what WCW managed to achieve all those years ago.

Bronson Reed Picks Up Right Where He Left Off on WWE Raw

Bronson Reed spent his first two-and-a-half years back in WWE spinning his wheels, and when he finally found his footing in a feud with Seth Rollins last fall, he suffered an injury during WarGames at Survivor Series that sidelined him for next six months.

He was thankfully reintroduced in fantastic fashion at Saturday Night's Main Event by decimating CM Punk through the barricade and again inside the ring after costing him and Sami Zayn the win. Aligning with Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker and Paul Heyman ensures he'll be prominently featured going forward as well.

A feud with Punk in particular would give him the chance to show what he can do against a top talent and ideally beat him at least once. Reed can be booked like an absolute destroyer en route to eventually capturing the Intercontinental Championship, all while fighting Rollins' other battles for him.

An explanation should be in order for why Rollins was willing to forgive Reed to putting him on the shelf last year, but otherwise, they're a terrific match for each other and a force to be reckoned with on Monday nights.

Reed was long overdue for a serious singles push and there's no reason to think he won't continue to climb the ranks on Raw if he can stay healthy.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.