Kevin Sullivan Thinks Cody Rhodes Would Have Suffered Backlash From WrestleMania Win

Cody Rhodes failed to "finish the story" at WrestleMania 39 as he fell short of his quest to dethrone Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. At the time, a lot of wrestling pundits blasted WWE for not pulling the trigger on a Rhodes victory, especially since a majority of the fanbase expected "The American Nightmare" to win — even the oddsmakers predicted a Rhodes victory. 

However, the phrase "Good things come to those who wait" could be applicable to Rhodes, who continues to build momentum towards an inevitable rematch against Reigns — possibly at WrestleMania 40. On the latest episode of "Tuesday with Taskmaster," former WCW booker Kevin Sullivan explained why WWE made the right call by delaying Rhodes' coronation. Sullivan prefaced his argument by stressing that "Cody has to win the belt" but it has to happen at the right time. 

"If Cody had won after Sami [Zayn] had lost [at Elimination Chamber], I think it would have hurt him," Sullivan said. "I think if Cody had won, he would have got a backlash [with] people saying, 'Oh, he just comes in and wins the belt while these guys [Zayn and others] have been here for years busting their ass?' He needs to win the belt, but he needs to do what his father did — his father put the heels over first, dumped all the heat and all the adversity [before his coronation]."

Sullivan then praised WWE for letting Rhodes win his feud against Lesnar, which he believes sets up "The American Nightmare" as a legitimate threat to dethrone Reigns. 

"I think they're doing it perfectly," Sullivan said of WWE's booking of Rhodes. "And now, if they go to WrestleMania 40, it's time [for Rhodes to win]. You can't give the people what they want all the time, you've gotta make them salivate for it."