Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.

Cody Rhodes Speaks on What He'd Say to Dusty

Cody Rhodes finally finished his story Sunday night, defeating Roman Reigns and pulling off the one feat his father never could, becoming the WWE champion.

It was a clearly emotional moment for Rhodes, who left AEW for WWE in 2022 with the aim to complete this goal. When asked what he'd say to his late father if he were still alive, Rhodes offered an earnest response that quickly turned tongue-in-cheek.

"If I'm being honest, I think I would want to say to him that I hope I lived up to your name," Rhodes said. "Then, thank you for the name. Then, I would say sorry about the tattoo."

Rhodes also offered an emotional anecdote, saying Triple H, Bruce Pritchard and Nick Khan presented him with a Rolex that was the same style Dusty once pawned to send his son to acting school. Dusty Rhodes' unwavering belief in his son is part of what led Cody to exit WWE in 2016, just a year after Dusty's passing.

Cody tore up the independent scene and Japan before helping launch AEW, the first true competitor to WWE since WCW shuttered its doors more than two decades ago. Still, there was a burning desire for more that led Rhodes back to WWE and to the top of the mountain.

Triple H Downplays the 'Paul Levesque Era' Moniker

It's abundantly clear WWE came into this weekend wanting to establish a new era in its history. This was the first WrestleMania in history without Vince McMahon, a name that has carried an increasingly ominous cloud in recent years amid allegations of impropriety.

Rhodes used the phrase the "Renaissance Era" during an ESPN appearance last week, while others have named the era after Triple H—with some calling it the Triple H Era and others using his legal name, calling it the Paul Levesque Era.

The Game addressed the personal component of the new era Sunday, saying everyone involved in WWE—not just him—deserves credit.

"I keep hearing it, Paul Heyman started it — well, he didn't start it, I supposed but Paul Heyman made a big deal out of it on Friday night. The new era, talking about it being 'my era.' It's not my era; it's our era. When I saw 'our,' I mean everyone in WWE," he said. "The people that endured, the people that hung in there. The people that trusted, the people that over the last year, whatever it's been, gave their sweat and tears to get to where we are because somewhere along the way they trusted a process that led them to remembering how much fun this is.

"How much of a privilege this is to be able to do it. How great this can be. We all started in a similar place where we just thought this was the greatest form of entertainment in the world. And we wanted to do it and work our asses off at it, and make fans all around the world, or make a product they could all can enjoy and could love again."

Triple H also said he was happy to see his wife, Stephanie McMahon, embraced with open arms when she opened the show Sunday. McMahon had not been seen on television in some time as she stepped away from the company.

It's unclear if she plans on returning on a more permanent basis or if she was just involved for WrestleMania weekend.

Bayley Praises Rhea

It had been more than a year since one of the Four Horsewomen held main-roster gold before Bayley defeated IYO SKY to win the WWE women's championship Sunday.

While she was able to bask in the moment of her WrestleMania triumph, Bayley also sang the praises of Rhea Ripley, her Raw counterpart.

"I think Rhea is once in a lifetime; I get so jealous of her," Bayley said. "First, I have so much respect for her; she works her butt off — I mean, you guys see Judgment Day on every single show like 10 times throughout the night, and that is not easy, and sometimes, not always fun. It's very hard, so I have all of the respect for the work she does, plus she puts on incredible matches. She's so young, so athletic...everything she does makes me mad."

Ripley had mentioned a passing of the torch between the Four Horsewomen to the new generation, but Bayley's victory this weekend proved they're very much here to stay.

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