Cody Rhodes’ story? What about Chad Gable’s story?

Rhodes continues to cry while Gable suffers an actual nightmare.

Once again, WWE brought viewers another gripping episode of Raw on the Road to WrestleMania, one worthy of a box of Kleenex, as one man openly wept and another gave viewers something to cry about.

But first, after I initially suggested that Seth Rollins might betray Cody Rhodes, which some deemed a stretch, Michael Cole touched on that topic, asking Rhodes if he trusts Rollins. While this could be a misdirection to create doubt about the night two WrestleMania main event between Rhodes and Roman Reigns, there’s a realistic possibility that Rollins could spoil the outcome and impact several storylines. Therefore, the result of Rhodes-Reigns II is still uncertain.

Rhodes then talked about his story and how finishing it now meant much more. He spoke of wanting to win the big win for his fans who remained loyal to him and how he looked to honor his father, Dusty Rhodes, by presenting the title to his mother. He also mentioned his wife, Brandi, who stood by him through a lame gimmick as he regularly ate RKO’s.

That all seemingly brought Rhodes to tears as his voice cracked and trembled.

I might have been moved if this wasn’t among the countless times Rhodes shed a tear on national television as he went from blithering all over the place to talking about Reigns’ title run being in the bottom of the ninth inning in the blink of a dry eye. And it seemed to me that the fans in Houston were less than impressed when it was over, perhaps the first crack in Cody’s foundation.

It grew more absurd when Rhodes made Cole part of his schtick, saying Cole would get to announce for the first time that a Rhodes is the WWE Champion before hugging the announcer.

I can’t imagine “Stone Cold” Steve Austin or Dusty Rhodes turning into a weeping mess before their big World title contest against Shawn Michaels or Ric Flair while embracing Jim Ross or Gordon Solie. From his WrestleMania indecision to Drew McIntyre calling him out for reneging on his deal with The Rock, the recent presentation of The American Nightmare has made him less appealing.

But at least Rhodes has an opportunity to finish his story, which is more than we can say for Chad Gable.

The real heartbreak of Raw this week goes to the Alpha Academy leader, who fell to Sami Zayn in the finals of a gauntlet match to determine a challenger for Gunther and his Intercontinental title at WrestleMania. Gable’s defeat comes after he began to gain momentum with a strong campaign for a rematch with the I.C. Champ.

I understand why Zayn got the nod over Gable. Zayn is a superstar who has headlined several premium events, including WrestleMania. As a performer, Zayn excels at playing a babyface in peril, which will go a long way to adding excitement for his upcoming rematch with the Ring General.

But the problem I have with Zayn is the same issue I had with everyone else who competed in the gauntlet match, not named Chad Gable, and that is this. No one has a more compelling, ready-to-go storyline with Gunther than Gable.

Last year, Gable stunned viewers when he outlasted Gunther in a five-minute challenge laid out by the Austrian Oak. He took Gunther to the limit weeks later, beating him by countout on Raw. In their third encounter, Gunther defeated Gable in front of his family, which brought Gable’s daughter cry in one of the most emotional scenes in Raw’s history.

But as Gable racked up impressive wins, he also stepped up his crusade for a rematch, this time on wrestling’s grandest stage, through social media. Gable gave fans not one but two stirring videos that spoke to the heart of the matter, which was that, for Gable, a rematch with Gunther “just means more.”

However, there is a silver lining for Gable. It seems his shoulders were off the mat as the referee, who was out of position, counted him out. That could lead to WWE adding Gable to the Intercontinental title match. However, this tactic feels like a participation trophy given after the fact, which could water down the championship match at WrestleMania and lessen the impact of a Gunther title loss if he were to lose without being beaten.

As one Cagesider suggested, there seems to be an odd trend this season of giving a WrestleMania match to anyone except the person who makes sense in the story. It began with Rhodes following the Royal Rumble. It continues now with Chad Gable.

It’s just too bad WWE only made things right by one man instead of both.