With WrestleMania 40 officially in the rearview mirror, with the fallout edition of Monday Night RAW effectively serving as the first page of a new WWE book, one has to wonder what the future will hold for the protagonist of the promotion, Cody Rhodes, who now not only finds himself the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion but the undisputed top star the promotion has to offer.
Suddenly switched from the hunted to the hunter, with all of his underdog aura cashed in for the unusual spot of top dog, Rhodes will soon enter his first feud on top, and then his second, and even his third before revisiting things with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who won't be back in WWE until the fall at the earliest and potentially even the Road to WrestleMania 41 in 2025, depending on his external commitments.
Fortunately, there are plenty of interesting options to throw Rhodes' way now that he's the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, including a few heels who have been biding their time in other angles waiting for a chance to challenge for the top spot in the promotion. Then again, there are also some feuds that would be, shall we say, mid, and thus probably aren't worth WWE's time in what is arguably the most important first few angles of a champion in years, maybe even decades, as after years with Roman Reigns on top, the promotion has to get this one right to set Rhodes up for success.
5. Cody Rhodes should feud with Logan Paul
On paper, Cody Rhodes and Logan Paul are in different tears in the WWE Universe, with Rhodes the top performer on SmackDown – at least until the draft – and Paul locked in as the Blue Brand's midcard champion. With that being said, SummerSlam is in Cleveland, Ohio, later this year, and giving Paul a main event match a la his bout against Roman Reigns last fall could make for an incredible opportunity for Rhodes to take his act to a new audience while selling some tickets at the Cleveland Browns Stadium to boot.
Now granted, Paul would probably have to drop the United States Championship to make it work, but the good news is, there are plenty of PLEs between now and August, which would allow the “Maverick” to do the job, lick his wounds, and jump up a weight class to box with the “American Nightmare”
4. Cody Rhodes shouldn't feud with Bullet Club
Alright, technically, there is no Bullet Club in WWE, but with two former leaders of the faction, AJ Styles and Finn Balor, regulars on the main roster, and Tama Tonga set to debut for the faction in the not-too-distant future, it would be easy to take a page from Rhodes' time away from the promotion to build a natural storyline for the hardcore fans who love history-based storylines.
The only problem? Neither performer is in the right place to have a feud with Rhodes.
With Balor in Judgment Day and Styles having just lost a non-title match with LA Knight at WrestleMania 40, the only way a pairing would make sense is if either performer is set to leave WWE at the end of it, either via a return to Prince Devitt in AEW or in a “Phenomenal” retirement match that sends the former WWE Champion back to Gainsville, Georgia once and for all. If neither is on the table, then neither should be on the card.
3. Cody Rhodes should feud with CM Punk
While CM Punk is basically a wanted man at this point in his WWE return, with both Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins wanting nothing more than to get their hands on the injured performer, fans shouldn't discount the potential of a feud between the “Second City Saint” and the “American Nightmare,” as they had one heck of a promo battle before the Royal Rumble and could easily light that back up when everyone is healthy and some other matches are out of the way.
After initially being viewed as the potential focal point of the original AEW, with Punk ultimately waiting a few years to join the promotion, how crazy would it be to see the former coworkers actually go at it in a very different company under very different circumstances?
2. Cody Rhodes shouldn't feud with Roman Reigns
If there's one person Cody Rhodes should not feud with any time soon, it has to be Roman Reigns, the man who arguably deserves a (re)match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship more than anyone else in the world.
Now granted, if WWE decided to book this angle, would anyone blame them? I'd venture to say no as, again, Reigns is being heralded as one of the best in-ring performers of his generation and an all-time great WWE Champion, and rightfully so, but his next angle is almost as important as Rhodes', as it will define what he looks like now that he's no longer on top. Fortunately, with The Bloodline in disarray, there's plenty to mine there for interesting storytelling, from Solo Sikoa pulling off a coup to his long-fated singles match with The Rock. This, however, shouldn't be it.
1. Cody Rhodes should feud with Gunther
Of all the potential feuds Cody Rhodes could wrestle now that he's champion, facing off against Imperium has to be at the top of WWE's list, as it's been hinted at since all the way back at the Royal Rumble in 2023, when the duo found themselves as the final two performers left in the ring before the “American Nightmare” punched his ticket to WrestleMania 39.
It's America versus Germany. It's good versus evil. It's a babyface who lights up like a Christmas tree when he gets hit against one of the most lethal chops in professional wrestling. And with Bash in Berlin set for this summer, WWE has the perfect venue for what could be a summer-long feud. Book it, Triple H.
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