Cody Rhodes was scheduled for an eight-person tag match at WrestleMania 29 in 2013, but the match was cut from the show and instead took place the next night on RAW. The change left the wrestlers upset and became a low point early in Rhodes’ career.
The match that was cut
Rhodes was teaming with Damien Sandow as Team Rhodes Scholars. They formed an on-screen alliance with The Bella Twins, Nikki and Brie. Their planned opponents were Tons Of Funk (Brodus Clay and Tensai) and The Funkadactyls (Naomi and Cameron).
The teams had mixed tag team segments in the lead-up to WrestleMania 29. The storyline included comedy bits and promos, such as Rhodes and Sandow mocking their rivals. The eight-person tag was announced for the WrestleMania card, but the show ran long. By the time the main event — The Rock vs. John Cena — began, the Rhodes Scholars’ match had been removed.
How Rhodes reacted
Cody Rhodes later said he was furious. On the Six Feet Under podcast with The Undertaker, he described wanting to fight Vince McMahon and feeling devastated. He said he sat under the stage in full gear after the match was cut.
Rhodes also told BT Sport he believed the match might have been planned to be cut so WWE could use footage for the reality show Total Divas. That idea made him angrier, he said, because it felt like they were set up for a TV storyline rather than given a real WrestleMania spot.
Match moved to RAW — and lasted just over two minutes
WWE booked the eight-person tag for the RAW after WrestleMania. The match finally happened on TV, but it lasted only 2 minutes and 25 seconds. The crowd the night after WrestleMania was loud and rowdy, and many fans were not focused on the match action.
The babyfaces — Tons Of Funk and The Funkadactyls — won the short match. Sandow took the pin after a double splash. Everyone involved tried to make the most of the brief time they were given.
Where it left Cody Rhodes
Being cut from WrestleMania was a hard moment for Rhodes. Thirteen years later, he reached the top of WWE, headlining multiple WrestleManias and winning world titles. The short, cancelled match at WrestleMania 29 is now a reminder of how far he has come.
| Fighter | Recent Result |
|---|---|
| Cody Rhodes | Lost (RAW after WrestleMania 29) |
| Damien Sandow | Lost (RAW after WrestleMania 29) |
| Nikki Bella | Lost (RAW after WrestleMania 29) |
| Brie Bella | Lost (RAW after WrestleMania 29) |
| Brodus Clay | Win (RAW after WrestleMania 29) |
| Tensai | Win (RAW after WrestleMania 29) |
| Naomi | Win (RAW after WrestleMania 29) |
| Cameron | Win (RAW after WrestleMania 29) |
Reported by UFCcoverage.
