Cody Rhodes’ perfect babyface title defense at King and Queen of the Ring

The American Nightmare had a match befitting a hero.

For the second time within three weeks, Cody Rhodes came through on what can be considered another five-star performance.

At Backlash, Rhodes thrilled audiences by defeating AJ Styles in a roller-coaster match. He continued his success on Saturday at the King and Queen of the Ring by defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Logan Paul. Unlike his intense battle with Styles, working with the villainous Paul made for a perfect title defense for the valiant champion.

Coming into the match, the polarizing influencer promised not to use his brass knuckles. But Paul, the perceived dirtbag that he is, found a way to use his weapon of choice after a distraction by his cronies seated ringside. After using the knucks to blast Rhodes in the gut, he continued to work over Rhodes’ midsection, lighting him up with stinging jabs he picked up in his days as a boxer.

Yet Cody kept fighting through Paul’s deceit, overcoming a knockout punch to the face, a frog splash through the announcers’ table, and a stiff shot to his crown jewels, all while Paul jawed with Michael Cole and the fans inside Jeddah’s Superdome. He also kicked out of his finishing move, Cross Rhodes, as delivered by Paul, to keep true to his promise. Rather than let referee Ryan Tran count Paul out at one point, Rhodes said, “He needs to learn.”

The only hiccup in an otherwise flawless display of heroism came when guest ring announcer Ibrahim Al Hajjaj intervened, preventing Paul from using brass knuckles on Rhodes. This distraction, which arguably leveled the playing field, led to Rhodes outsmarting and ultimately defeating Paul in a spirited match featuring a variety of styles, including mat wrestling, aerial acrobatics, and sheer brutality as both men pushed themselves to the limit.

Based on the short buildup, Paul arguably should’ve been the one to help Rhodes kickstart his title reign. On SmackDown, the day before their encounter, Rhodes crushed Paul in a promo that put some hair on his championship sovereignty’s chest. While he was still stagy, Rhodes had the line of the night when he told Paul, “I believe that you’re a pro wrestler. I believe that you’re a WWE superstar. But until you stop treating this part-time, until you dedicate your heart and soul, until you respect the ring that we are standing in, you will never, and I mean never, be on my level.”

After his loss, Paul seemed introspective, possibly hinting at a future shift towards a more positive role. Meanwhile, Rhodes seems poised for a rematch with Styles, who knows full well that his time is running out. How Styles will position himself for another shot against Rhodes remains to be seen, as Rhodes exits Saudi Arabia possibly more popular than ever, following a match that perfectly suited a heroic champion.