Brian Cage is still standing on a take that got WWE fans all over his ass — Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 was not on the same level as Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay. Cage loved the WrestleMania spectacle, but when it came down to which pair actually had the better match, his answer was savage: “Not even close.”
Cage revisited the whole mess during The @smoothvega Podcast, where the conversation turned to the difference between great wrestling and great sports entertainment. Cage explained that he personally leans toward the sports-based side, so a killer bell-to-bell match is naturally going to hit harder for him than a match built around spectacle.
“There’s different flavors of ice cream wrestling, too. Like, and I myself, I also pride myself in being more of a fan of, like, the sports-based wrestling, if you will. So, like, yeah, having that awesome match to me stands out more to me and is what I’m into as a wrestling fan more than the entertainment aspect, if you will.”
That preference landed Cage in hot water back in 2024. Cody Rhodes had just defeated Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 and finally finished his story when Danielson and Ospreay went to war at AEW Dynasty. Cage watched that match and didn’t bother waiting for the rest of the year before making his call.
“So, like, I remember I got a bunch of heat online when I tweeted, and I wasn’t trying to even throw shade. I was just trying to throw the comparison. I said, ‘You can finish whatever story you want to, but Bryan Danielson and Will Ospreay just had the match of the year.’”
That “finish whatever story you want” line immediately set people off. Fans thought Cage was taking a dump on Cody’s WrestleMania moment, and he pushed back on that interpretation at the time. Cage made it clear that he actually thought Cody vs. Roman was awesome. He loved the run-ins, the chaos and the massive payoff. His problem was people treating that as proof it was also the better wrestling match.
“Everyone attacked me thinking I was shitting on Roman Reigns and Cody’s match and stuff and I go, ‘No, that match was awesome and it was fun and it was very entertainment based with all the run-ins at WrestleMania.’”
Cage kept piling on the praise, calling the WrestleMania main event rad, awesome and fun.
“It was rad. It was awesome. It was fun. It was a fun time.”
Then he dropped the line that makes his position impossible to misunderstand. When Cage compared Cody and Roman directly to Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay at AEW Dynasty, he said the WrestleMania match wasn’t even in the same conversation for him.
“But was it a better match than Danielson and Ospreay? Not even close.”
That’s the whole argument. Cage isn’t saying Cody vs. Roman sucked. He’s saying Danielson vs. Ospreay was so much better as an actual wrestling match that he doesn’t think the comparison is particularly close. And Cage says he got his chance to laugh about the backlash later. After getting hammered for declaring Danielson vs. Ospreay the Match of the Year, Cage recalled ESPN eventually making the same choice. He had one question for everybody who came after him.
“And then I got my justification at the end of the year when ESPN said, ‘Oh, the best match of the year was—’ I go, ‘Oh, where’s all the hate now?’ I go, ‘Of course.’”
Cage clearly understands why Cody finishing his story against Roman became one of WWE’s biggest moments in years. He just doesn’t think a huge story, a pile of run-ins and a monster WrestleMania ending automatically make it the better match. For Cage, Danielson and Ospreay smoked them bell-to-bell — and he still isn’t backing away from saying it.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
Do you agree with Brian Cage that Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns was “not even close” to Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
