Cody Rhodes' title reign is losing steam at the worst possible time

The Babyface Trap

Cody Rhodes finally finished his story at WrestleMania XL, pinning Roman Reigns in the middle of the ring and ending a historic 1,316-day title run. We got the confetti, the tears, the embrace with Brandi Rhodes, the celebration with John Cena and The Undertaker, and the passing of the torch. It was arguably the greatest climax in WWE history. But what happens after the credits roll on a superhero movie? You get the sequels. And right now, Cody’s run as Undisputed WWE Champion is feeling dangerously like a direct-to-DVD follow-up.

Since April, Rhodes has defended the belt against AJ Styles, Logan Paul, Kevin Owens, and Solo Sikoa. The matches themselves? Totally fine. Some of them, like the Backlash France main event against Styles, were spectacular in-ring performances. But the emotional stakes are completely gone. When Cody was chasing Roman, every promo felt like a matter of life and death. Now, he strolls out in custom three-piece suits, asks the crowd what they want to talk about, and politely accepts challenges from guys he clearly respects. The fire that got him to the top of the mountain has been replaced by the corporate sheen of a smiling ambassador.

The Illusion of Competition

Let's look at the actual defenses. The two-match series with AJ Styles was wrestling perfection on paper. The "I Quit" match at Clash at the Castle in Scotland was brutal and violent. But did anyone actually believe Styles was going to make Cody quit just two months after WrestleMania? Of course not.

Then came the Champion vs. Champion match against Logan Paul at King and Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia. Again, a perfectly athletic contest with zero dramatic tension. Paul is a great heel, but he was holding the United States Championship at the time. WWE wasn't going to put their top prize on a part-timer who wrestles four times a year. The result was a foregone conclusion the minute the graphic hit the screen.

The fundamental flaw in Triple H's current booking strategy is playing it far too safe. Instead of building fresh, dangerous contenders for the WWE Championship, creative keeps circling back to established veterans and respectful exhibitions. A babyface champion needs a dragon to slay, not a sparring partner.

The Bloodline Hangover

The biggest booking mistake of this reign was dragging Cody back into the Bloodline vortex at SummerSlam. Solo Sikoa is not Roman Reigns. He doesn’t have the aura, the history, or the believability to unseat the top babyface in the company. Giving Sikoa a main event title shot in Cleveland felt like a transparent stalling tactic to stretch the Bloodline cinematic universe until Survivor Series.

Worse, the finish of that SummerSlam match actively damaged Cody. Roman Reigns returned, hit a Superman Punch and a Spear on Sikoa, and handed Cody the win. The champion was rendered an afterthought in his own title defense. The crowd wasn't popping for Cody retaining; they were popping for the original Tribal Chief coming back to reclaim his necklace. Cody was just the guy holding the prop in the background.

This bled directly into the build for Bash in Berlin. The match with Kevin Owens was structurally sound, but no one on earth bought for a second that Owens was walking out of Germany with the belt. The build consisted of two guys politely arguing over who respected the other more. It was boring television that wasted four weeks of programming.

The Ghost of AEW Past

If WWE isn't careful, they are going to run into the exact same problem Cody faced in All Elite Wrestling. Toward the end of his AEW run, the crowd violently turned on him. They rejected his patriotic promos, his elaborate entrances, and his refusal to turn heel. Fans started comparing him to Homelander from The Boys — a smiling superhero who is actually a terrifying narcissist underneath the cape.

WWE audiences are fickle. They loved the chase, but they are already getting tired of the victory lap. You can hear the reactions cooling off slightly on SmackDown. The pop for his entrance is still loud, but the promo segments are getting quieter. Modern wrestling fans do not want a 1980s Hulk Hogan babyface who just tells kids to say their prayers and eat their vitamins. They want edge. They want conflict.

Why WrestleMania 41 Needs The Viper

We are rapidly approaching the Road to WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, and the championship picture is completely murky. If WWE wants to protect Cody's legacy and prevent the crowd from turning on him, they need to pull the trigger on Randy Orton. Period.

The history writes itself. Orton was Cody's cruel mentor in Legacy over a decade ago. Orton has spent the last year playing the supportive veteran, hitting RKOs alongside Rhodes and Owens. But Randy Orton is genetically engineered to be a heel. A sudden, vicious turn from Orton doesn't just give Cody a credible challenger; it gives him a deeply personal issue. It forces Cody to stop being the corporate ambassador and go back to being a fighter fighting for his life.

Imagine the promos. Orton can throw every failure in Cody's face. He can bring up Legacy. He can bring up AEW. He can claim that Cody is only champion because Orton allowed it. This is the kind of psychological warfare that carried the Roman Reigns feud. It's the only thing that can save this title reign from becoming a footnote.

Fixing the Road to Vegas

WWE has four months to fix this trajectory before the Royal Rumble. They need to strip away the suits, the pyro, and the politeness. Have Orton punt Cody in the skull on an episode of SmackDown. Have him steal the title belt and throw it in the river. Do something, anything, to make Cody Rhodes angry again.

Cody Rhodes proving he can win the big one was a great story. But defending the championship legacy is a completely different skill set. If he goes into Allegiant Stadium against someone like Gunther or a returning Seth Rollins without a deeply personal, blood-feud storyline, the Las Vegas crowd is going to sit on their hands. The chase was legendary. The reign is currently just acceptable. Acceptable doesn't main event WrestleMania.