We publish a whole lot of content here at Cageside Seats. We’re also [looks around and whispers so the bosses can’t hear] not the only place producing wrestling content on the internet. So, as a service to you on the weekdays, we’ll be producing a wrestling newsletter, "Rude Awakening." Well, it will be a newsletter eventually: for now, it’ll just be part of your experience here at Cageside, collecting the news, recaps, and social moments from the greater wrestling universe daily so you won’t fall behind, with a newsletter format to come.
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Cody Rhodes has been wrestling basically everywhere since departing from WWE. Rhodes has, most notably, performed with Ring of Honor, Impact Wrestling, and in New Japan as part of the Bullet Club, but he’s also made time to show up at seemingly any indie promotion that asks him to, regardless of its size. All of that sounds like it’s soon coming to an end, though, as Cody Rhodes told Sports Illustrated that he’s “about to make a decision” regarding where he’ll spend his grappling days from here on out.
It’s been a little odd that Rhodes has been able to work for competing companies like Impact and Ring of Honor, but that’s what happens when you’re Cody Rhodes, former WWE star and son of Dusty Rhodes: is Impact or Ring of Honor or anyone besides WWE in a place where they can say no to him? So, everyone has just let him join up as he can to this point, and he’s been in considerable placement on basically every card he’s appeared on — Rhodes is a current Global Force Wrestling champ and involved in a feud for ROH’s title, too — but all of that will change once Cody makes his stated decision.
It’s not clear where it will be, but Ring of Honor is maybe the best bet, since it would likely allow him to continue on with New Japan as well given the relationship between those two companies. Then again, Impact cleared out a bunch of their roster to make room for newer talent, and as they’ve already signed Alberto El Patron, another arguably misused WWE talent up near the top of their card would make all kinds of sense. We’ll just have to wait and see, but it doesn’t sound like we’ll need to wait much longer to know for sure.
- If you’re a fan of Paige, you probably won’t love the rumor about her WWE career in Friday’s roundup.
- You knew it was coming once Jeff Jarrett got some power there, but Impact is merging with his promotion, Global Force Wrestling.
- James Ellsworth is down for a match against Becky Lynch, and by match, I mean Becky would suplex the hell out of this dude until the refs made her stop.
- There’s an official Chyna documentary coming out soon, and the trailer was uploaded one year after her death.
- Here’s how Charlotte Flair reacted to her move to SmackDown Live as part of the Superstar Shakeup.
- This Cagesider has made a case for the recent push of Jinder Mahal, who is the number one contender to the WWE World Championship. Paste Magazine, on the other hand, thinks this is the right idea with the wrong guy.
- There’s a discussion at ComicBook.com about how it’s time for the face of WWE to be a black superstar. With Big E on SmackDown, there is obvious potential and the ball is already rolling thanks to New Day, but WWE has to take those next steps.
- Bobby Roode’s “Glorious” theme was originally made for Shinsuke Nakamura, and both Roode and all of us should be thankful Nakamura didn’t think it fit him. For one, Nakamura’s theme is legit dope on its own, and two, it’s helped put Roode over immediately at NXT.
- The latest episode of Not Your Demographic is live, and it’s about Lana drama. Rudo Radio is live as well, and that focused on the rise of WWE in pop culture as well as Braun Strowman.
- Total Divas was all about Miz’s poetry and Paige’s suspension.
- Mick Foley is recovering from the hip surgery that pushed him out as RAW’s general manager.
- An indie wrestler made it onto the Price is Right with a bid of $420. The only disappointing thing is he didn’t use $69 to signify a $1 bid elsewhere.
- Good news on the Ember Moon injury front: the scary collision her shoulder made with the barricade during the recent NXT taping didn’t cause an injury so much as it just really hurt her in the moment.