With WrestleMania 40 drawn to a close, Cody Rhodes has finally completed his story and won the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship against Roman Reigns, who held the title for 1,316 days, marking the fourth-longest reign in WWE history.
With this new era of WWE, dubbed either the Renaissance Era or Triple H Era (depending on who you ask), and the company's semi-regular Draft approaching at the end of the month, here are my five WWE superstars against whom Cody Rhodes may defend his championship during his reign.
Honorable Mentions: LA Knight, Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, The Rock
No. 5) AJ Styles
Since returning from injury caused by the Bloodline, AJ Styles has embarked on a villainous ego for the ages. When he was injured, his feud with LA Knight erupted into accusations of stolen spotlight opportunities, resulting in many brawls and even a fatal four-way showdown at the Royal Rumble alongside Roman Reigns and Randy Orton for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship. Styles continued to haunt Knight, derailing his Wrestlemania dreams after interfering in a crucial Elimination Chamber qualifier.
However, the tables turned in Philadelphia this past weekend, as LA Knight outshone Styles in a singles match, likely slamming the door shut on this feud.
Despite being 46 years old and a quarter century into his career, Styles seems to be at the peak of his physical prowess, indicating he's not hanging up his boots anytime soon. With both wrestlers possessing captivating characters and unparalleled athleticism, a prospective feud between AJ Styles and Cody Rhodes has fans on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating the clash of these titans in the squared circle.
No. 4) Solo Sikoa
Solo Sikoa, dubbed the “Street Champion” of the Bloodline, has (almost entirely) silently served his family's faction as their enforcer since his Main Roster debut at Clash of the Castle in 2022, aiding in a Roman Reigns victory over Drew McIntyre.
With the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns absent for the time being, the WWE needs to create a temporary storyline that focuses on Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso becoming successful independently of each other, or even Jey Uso, for that matter.
Solo Sikoa can seek retribution for Roman Reigns due to Cody taking his championship from him.
Solo hasn’t won a match, televised or otherwise, since Crown Jewel against John Cena in early November. Even if he doesn’t dethrone Cody, it would be nice to see Solo start to build momentum, simply as his own man.
No. 3) GUNTHER
Most consider Gunther, whose reign ended at 666 days on the button at WrestleMania 40, the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time, one of the most prestigious belts in the entire Pro Wrestling industry. Even though some thought Gunther should’ve retained over Sami Zayn, others believe this is the perfect time for Gunther to ascend up the card and reach true Main Event status.
Known for his traditional in-ring ability and fearless attitude, the Ring General has had a short history with Cody Rhodes. Cody famously eliminated Gunther to win the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble match, in which Gunther had lasted over 70 minutes after entering at No. 1 and had a match-high (tied with Rhodes) five eliminations.
No. 2) CM Punk
CM Punk’s WrestleMania Main Event dreams were once again denied, thanks to a legitimate injury at the Royal Rumble, but best believe the Best in the World will find his way to the top of the ladder once more. Even as Punk is currently feuding with Drew McIntyre, even after WrestleMania, we can definitely see these two superstars feuding shortly.
Punk and Rhodes have a lot of history together. They first competed in matches in WWE together in the early stages of their runs in the company before the pair overlapped for about six months competing in All Elite Wrestling, where they never locked up. Some 2.5 years later, the pair were the last two entries in the Royal Rumble, and it was Punk who last hit the mat. You'd have to imagine this bout is a possibility at some point.
No. 1) Randy Orton
Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes' story dates back nearly 20 years ago, and a rivalry with the then "Legend Killer" was Rhodes' first major angle after getting called up from OVW.
The two men, along with Ted DiBiase Jr., then formed a group dubbed Legacy, which was a focal point throughout the late 2000s on Monday Night Raw, and of course, Orton was Rhodes' surprise fifth man for his War Games team that faced The Judgement Day last November at Survivor Series.
A feud between these two men would be worth watching, considering that Randy Orton can’t always be trusted. With the two currently serving as babyfaces, we can see Randy Orton turn heel like he’s done numerous times. We can also see a babyface, Cody Rhodes, turn on Randy Orton to protect the title that he worked two years on getting. That would be quite the swerve.
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