Cody Rhodes: What WWE REALLY Thinks Of His Undisputed Title Reign
Cody Rhodes has been Undisputed WWE Champion since WrestleMania 40. Is it working?
WWE is believed to be "extremely happy" with Cody Rhodes' run as Undisputed Champion so far.
Per WrestleVotes on Backstage Pass, WWE is delighted with 'The American Nightmare', who has been Undisputed WWE Champion since dethroning Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL: Sunday. This will likely be the case for the foreseeable future, as WWE essentially sees him as a John Cena-like babyface at this stage.
The Cena comparison is high praise, given that the soon-to-retire legend was positioned as WWE's undisputed top wrestler for much of the 2000s and 2010s. While his one-sided booking drew frequent criticism, and drew many a fan backlash, it is unquestionable that WWE invested in Cena with full force, making him a 16-time World Champion. Now, Rhodes has emerged as a similar franchise player - albeit without the backlash.
Rhodes' WWE run has proven universally popular in arenas and amongst television audiences. His crowd reactions and merchandise sales speak to this. More importantly, his momentum has shown no signs of slowing in the way it did towards the end of his AEW run, where he resisted a full-on heel turn despite souring fan reactions.
Cody is now 215 days into his reign as Undisputed WWE Champion. His run has brought memorable feuds and matches with the likes of AJ Styles, Solo Sikoa, Kevin Owens, and Logan Paul so far, and while there is currently no firm guarantee of who he'll wrestle at WrestleMania 41, such names as Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Roman Reigns have been mentioned.
Whoever Rhodes faces at 'Mania, he has unquestionably become a WWE centerpiece since returning in 2022, and a legitimate headliner in his own right.