Bully Ray is advocating for Gunther to defeat Cody Rhodes at Clash in Italy, arguing that the story should center on Cody being stripped of confidence and hope. He explains, “I want Cody to be in a situation that he’s not used to being in where there is no hope,” and adds that Cody should repeatedly be beaten down on the road to the match: “I want Cody to go to sleep this week on SmackDown, I want Cody to go to sleep next week on SmackDown, and I want Cody to go to sleep in the match in Turin, and I want Gunther to win.”
He emphasizes that the core of the idea is emotional pressure and long-term storytelling, saying, “I want to take the hope from Cody away,” and arguing for a return to classic wrestling psychology: “I would love to see WWE rely on things that have been working in pro wrestling for hundreds of years,” specifically “going with some heel heat and steam in which the babyface has no hope.” He adds that this would force Cody into a rare mental struggle, where “he might have to question himself.”
Even with a potential loss, Bully Ray doesn’t see it hurting Cody’s standing with fans. He states, “I believe he should defeat Cody,” but insists, “Will the loss affect Cody? Absolutely not,” because “Cody’s fanbase will rally behind him, because Cody’s fanbase has hope in Cody and they believe in Cody and they will will Cody back to his next victory.”
(Source: Busted Open Radio)