After a weekend trip to the movies with two young daughters, one wrestling fan traced a line from Sheriff Woody to high profile WWE character arcs from the last 15 years. Woody has been a beloved movie character since his Hollywood debut in 1995, with a career longevity that recalls legends like The Undertaker, Sting, Rey Mysterio, and Terry Funk. The fifth installment of the Toy Story franchise hit theaters everywhere this week.

The piece draws parallels between Woody's evolution and WWE storylines without spoiling Toy Story 5 for those who have not seen it yet.

Original Toy Story and the Summer of Punk

Like John Cena before #LOLCENAWINS became a thing, Woody was the cat's pajamas until Buzz Lightyear showed up in the original Toy Story movie. Andy wanted to play with Buzz more than Woody, and all of the other toys were enamored with the charismatic, yet originally delusional, space ranger as well. Woody's shattered ego leads him to accidentally knock Buzz out the window, sending them both into the clutches of psychotic neighbor boy Sid Phillips. The two toys are forced to work together to get back home, but Buzz is not initially motivated to do so. After Buzz's arm comes off, Woody uses it and his powers of ventriloquy to convince the other toys to help them. When they eventually make it home safely, they seem to have developed mutual respect that will lead to a friendship.

Like Woody in 1995, the Summer of Punk in 2011 was one of the first times during John Cena's run that anybody was as over with the crowd as Cena was. CM Punk's infamous Pipe Bomb remains one of the most memorable promos in WWE history and signified a changing of the guard in the company. Punk's disdain for what Cena represented and his vision of what a top star should look like mirrored Buzz Lightyear's initial resistance to being viewed as "just a toy". Cena, for his part, would later recognize and acknowledge that one of his fiercest rivals was every bit the star he claimed to be. The two would even hug in the middle of the ring at Elimination Chamber last February, signaling to the audience the mutual respect they had built for each other, even though it took over a decade for fans to see it, similar to the time between the original Toy Story and the sequel.

Toy Story 2 and the Bloodline

In Toy Story 2, Al, an obsessed and greedy toy collector, rolls up to a yard sale and stumbles across Woody, who had gone on a rescue mission to save Wheezy the toy penguin from being sold. Al steals Woody and takes him back to his penthouse apartment, where he prepares to earn a fortune by sending Woody and the rest of his Roundup Gang to a toy museum in Tokyo. Woody meets Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete the Prospector. After initially resisting the idea of leaving Andy and the other toys behind, Woody recognizes the allure of spending eternity in a museum where he can be protected and preserved. He eventually realizes, though, that not only can he go back to doing what he had done so well for years, but the rest of the Roundup Gang can escape with him. After Stinky Pete turns heel and demands that they acknowledge him, Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye spend the rest of the movie trying to escape the Roundup Gang vortex.

Sami Zayn's involvement in the Bloodline infused new energy into a group that needed it. Sami's initial intent was to ingratiate himself with Roman Reigns and The Usos, hoping that being part of the group would elevate his status and give him some clout in the locker room. Roman would anoint Sami as the Honorary Uce, and they went on a memorable run together. That was, until Royal Rumble 2023. Despite proving his loyalty by hitting his lifelong friend Kevin Owens with a low blow at Survivor Series, Sami was being forced by Roman to attack a helpless and handcuffed Owens at Royal Rumble. Zayn could not do it had a complete change of heart, and attacked WWE's own prospector, Roman Reigns, instead.

Toy Story 3 and Daniel Bryan

With Andy going off to college, his toys get mistakenly donated in Toy Story 3. They ended up at a daycare center, which, to them, seemed like a great alternative to being stored in the attic and collecting dust. As the toys all start to get the lay of the land in their new digs, the maniacal teddy bear Lotso is revealed to be somewhat of a cult leader for all of the toys at the daycare. Woody tries to convince his friends that they were accidentally thrown away and do not need to stay there. When the rest of Andy's toys realize that they can trust Woody, they do whatever they can to escape Lotso and his goons, including a brainwashed Buzz Lightyear.

In 2014, Daniel Bryan, after suffering a series of relentless beatdowns at the hands of Erick Rowan and the late Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper, decided to fall in line and join the Wyatt Family. After being a good soldier for just a few weeks, Bryan took off his jumpsuit and attacked his stablemates, signaling to the world that he had only joined the faction to tear them apart from the inside. This turned Daniel Bryan into an undeniable babyface and set his course directly towards the beginning of the Yes! Movement at WrestleMania 30. The Woody and Lotso parallel to Bryan and Bray was admittedly the weakest of the connections, but the images were too similar to pass up.

Toy Story 4 and Cody Rhodes

After decades of obsessing over being the go to toy for Andy and eventually Bonnie, Woody decides to completely change course in Toy Story 4. Bonnie brings home a new favorite toy from kindergarten, Forky, a spork that she had decorated with googly eyes and pipe cleaners. Forky, naturally, only regards himself as trash and goes on a crusade to end up in a landfill and out of his misery. Woody, knowing how much the naive piece of plasticware means to Bonnie, sets out to save him and bring him back. In the meantime, Woody's travels take him to an antique shop where he reunites with his long lost love, Bo Peep. Woody discovers that since leaving Andy's sister's nightstand years ago, Bo ran away and became an independent "lost toy" on a mission to help other lost toys find owners. Seeing his own role in Bonnie's world changing, Woody decides to join Bo, reinventing himself and finding a higher purpose in the process.

In 2016, after running with a few mediocre mid card gimmicks in the years prior, Cody Rhodes was saddled with the infamous Stardust one, an offshoot of his real life brother Dustin's legendary Goldust character. After arriving on the scene years prior and making a huge impact by Randy Orton's side in Legacy, it was clear that Cody Runnels was not satisfied with his career trajectory after donning the facepaint and leather jumpsuit. Cody left WWE in 2016 and would go on to completely reinvent himself in the years that followed. After stints in Ring of Honor, TNA, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and appearances in several other lesser known companies, Cody got in on the ground floor with the formation of All Elite Wrestling, launched in early 2019.

Toy Story 5 and John Cena in 2024

In the interest of not giving away too much of the plot of Toy Story 5, there appear to be parallels between Woody's role in the movie and John Cena's role in WWE in 2024 worth discussing after viewing. As for everyone's favorite sheriff, you will have to see the movie to find out if Woody undergoes a life changing hair transplant the same way the Never Seen 17 did.

The piece invites readers to share better WWE stories tied to the evolution of Sheriff Woody over the years, note other Toy Story characters that remind them of wrestling storylines on Raw, SmackDown, or NXT, and weigh in on whether they also watch too much wrestling.

More from the daily roundup

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• Community Wrestler Rankings voting is open, with a call to vote for the next Top 10.
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