Buy or Sell Cody Rhodes Losing WWE Title to The Rock or Reigns Before WrestleMania 41
Buy or Sell Cody Rhodes Losing WWE Title to The Rock or Reigns Before WrestleMania 410 of 5
Roman Reigns, The Rock and Cody Rhodes on a collision course with major WrestleMania 41 implications.Credit: WWE.com
The road to WrestleMania 41 has already proved to be extremely unpredictable, and there’s no telling what other twists and turns WWE will have in store in the months ahead.
That will be especially true for the Undisputed WWE Championship picture involving Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns and The Rock.
Rhodes finally “finishing his story” at WrestleMania 40 by dethroning The Tribal Chief as champ after almost four years was the satisfying conclusion fans had longed for. But it was clear by the following day’s Raw that a new story was about to begin, one largely centered around The American Nightmare and Rock.
The Great One staking his claim at the prestigious prize all but confirmed Rhodes wouldn’t lose it until his rival got the shot he felt he earned by pinning him in the Night 1 tag team main event.
Although Rock resurfaced at the end of October’s Bad Blood to plant the seeds for something with Rhodes and Reigns, there’s been no other indication that his return to television in a regular role is imminent.
For better or for worse, The American Nightmare dropping the title to either of them ahead of April’s Show of Shows would be one way to switch things up.
Rhodes Would Benefit from Being Back in Chase Mode1 of 5
One of the biggest criticisms fans have had of Rhodes’ reign as undisputed WWE champ is the perception that he’s grown stale having overcome the odds at almost every turn.
Aside from getting injured early in his second stint with WWE, losing to Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 39 was the only true setback he’s had in the past two years. He ultimately avenged that loss, and everything else he’s done has usually ended with him having his hand raised in victory.
John Cena suffered from a similar issue during his time on top, though Rhodes has wisely been made to look more vulnerable and relatable during his main event run.
Cena was constantly champion from 2005 through 2014 and did some of his strongest work when he was truly fighting from underneath.
As champ, Rhodes isn’t an underdog, a role he has excelled in historically. His first few feuds with AJ Styles, Logan Paul and Solo Sikoa were solid but there wasn’t much doubt he would win.
Having him drop the belt out of nowhere before WrestleMania 41—if only temporarily—could freshen him up considerably.
Despite it being the modern-day standard in wrestling, not every reign has to last a year or longer. Rhodes would hardly be damaged by dropping the title for a while, but the bigger question is whether either Rock or Reigns are the right fit to replace him in that spot yet.
Rock’s Infrequent Appearances Aren’t Conducive to Another WWE Title Reign2 of 5
Upon returning to WWE as a part-timer in 2011, The Rock settled his score with John Cena before setting his sights on the WWE Championship, which he ended up winning from CM Punk at the Royal Rumble in 2013.
Although he had one successful title defense against The Best in the World at Elimination Chamber the following month, the primary purpose of his reign was to pass the torch to Cena by losing the title to him at WrestleMania 29.
Even then, The Brahma Bull’s televised appearances for WWE were few and far between. Although he had a semi-recurring role on Raw and SmackDown en route to WrestleMania 40, it’s unknown how active he’ll be for WrestleMania season next spring.
If Rock did beat Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship around or at the Royal Rumble on February 1, there’s no guarantee the title will have a consistent presence on SmackDown in the months that followed.
A Rock reign would have to be short-lived as a result, and Rhodes wouldn’t gain anything from getting the belt back when he could have beaten him in their initial one-on-one encounter. Meanwhile, The Final Boss vs. Reigns sells itself and doesn’t need anything tangible up for grabs.
Rock would bring an equal amount of eyes to the WWE product as champ as he would without winning the title.
With a return to full-time competition highly unlikely, Rock’s coveted People’s Championship should be the closest he comes to ever holding gold again.
Reigns Doesn’t Need Another World Title Run Anytime Soon3 of 5
Reigns ruled the company as undisputed WWE universal champion for a whopping 1,316 days. It was nothing short of a historic run filled with monumental matches, moments and storylines.
It was imperative WWE ended it appropriately, and Rhodes beating him for the belt in their WrestleMania rematch this past April—complete with cameos and callbacks—provided the perfect conclusion.
Reigns has been back since SummerSlam and has felt like the company’s biggest attraction even without gold around his waist. Anything Rhodes has been involved in has essentially been a side story on SmackDown; Reigns’ rivalry with The Bloodline has instead taken center stage.
Rhodes would become even more of an afterthought if the title returned to Reigns’ possession at any point in the foreseeable future. Moreover, his ongoing war with his former faction doesn’t need anything on the line other than the title of Tribal Chief.
Reigns, The Usos, Sami Zayn and a mystery fifth partner will battle The Bloodline and a fifth partner of their choosing in WarGames at Survivor Series, but the family saga is far from over. Reigns has yet to face Solo Sikoa one-on-one, and when that bout does come to fruition, there is zero need for the Undisputed WWE Championship to be at stake.
Reigns and Rhodes can eventually have a rubber match for the title, but The American Nightmare winning is the only acceptable outcome. Nothing The Head of the Table does as champion will surpass what he accomplished during that unprecedented four-year reign.
What’s the WrestleMania Endgame for All Three?4 of 5
Looking ahead to what WWE will have Reigns, Rhodes and Rock doing closer to WrestleMania 41 will determine what the next few months of the Undisputed WWE Championship picture entail exactly.
As previously noted, regardless of who wins WarGames, Reigns vs. Sikoa is expected to continue well into 2025. A big blow-off on The Grandest Stage of Them All seems to be a strong possibility as of now, but Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu is much worthier of the billing.
Although Reigns vs. Rock is the marquee match fans have been hugely anticipating for almost a decade, it doesn’t appear to be in the cards for this upcoming installment of ‘Mania unless WWE rushes the rivalry.
Before Rock faces Reigns, he has to finish his feud with Rhodes and challenge for the Undisputed WWE Championship. That would have been the perfect program for SummerSlam in August or coming up at the Royal Rumble in February, but WWE will presumably want that as one of the main events at WrestleMania 41 if The Final Boss isn’t wrestling on any other show but the biggest one there is.
Rhodes is currently embroiled in a storyline with Kevin Owens, and Randy Orton is also waiting in the wings for a title opportunity, so The American Nightmare can easily be kept busy between now and April.
Final Verdict5 of 5
In short, Rhodes losing the Undisputed WWE Championship to either Rock or Reigns on the road to WrestleMania 41 would be unnecessary.
By and large, Rhodes has had a terrific title run. He’s stayed over with the audience and there’s much more for him to do in the role. He’d benefit from dropping the belt briefly, but Kevin Owens or Randy Orton would be better suited for that spot if it was going to happen.
Rock and Reigns are part-timers at this point and don’t need gold in their grasp to feel special. They have their own respective storylines that the audience can get invested in while Rhodes remains in the main event mix as champion.
Rock vs. Rhodes is inevitable, but Rhodes emerging victorious should be what sets up Rock and Reigns finally facing off. Rock can beat Reigns the first time around if the idea is to build a bigger feud between them beyond just a one-off.
A third round of Rhodes vs. Reigns would be appealing at some point, whether it’s for the WWE title or not, but the company can hold off on that until much later down the line when both men are free of any feuds.
The paths of Rhodes, Reigns and Rock can and should continue to cross in the coming months, but there is no value in booking a title win for either Reigns or Rock before or at ‘Mania simply for the sake of doing so.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham “GSM” Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
