Cody Rhodes' story matters. But as awesome it to be seeing Dusty Rhodes' son win the title that The American Dream never held - if we're being technical, Rhodes never won a title in the WWE - the wrestling world is on the cusp of doing something bigger and rarer.
Most casual fans associate Hulk Hogan, the face of professional wrestling most of the 80s and 90s, with WWE gold. While Bruno Sammartino has him by nearly double the amount of days (2,803 days vs 1,474 days), Hulk Hogan won, held, and defended his title in front of live television for years. His reign spanned over four years from January 23, 1984 to February 5, 1988. During this time, he wrestled against all comers until he finally lost the title belt to André the Giant in front of 33 million viewers around the world.
While Roman Reigns hasn't been as active during his title reign, beating Hulk Hogan's record remains just as monumental, especially as the WWE looks to update its history books and put fresh faces in it.
No matter how over Rhodes might be, this chance at history and making an indelible mark on the wrestling landscape is too good to pass up, especially given the current climate. The allegations surrounding Vince McMahon threaten to mar what has so far been an excellent start to Triple H's time as the WWE's creative head. Triple H needs a huge win for the WWE to basically make everyone believe that it's the dawn of a new era amidst the controversies. Hence, Roman Reigns soon becoming the third-longest-reigning WWE champion of all time.
