10 New Directions For WWE After Royal Rumble 2023
2. Cody Rhodes = WWE Title Challenger?
Please note the careful wording above: Cody Rhodes may not go after the Undisputed WWE Universal Title and take both belts from Roman Reigns. Why? Well, that'll be revealed in the next entry. Besides, that WWE Championship is the one Cody really covets, and the one he spoke about in promos pre-injury.
Winning the Rumble gives him the right to target it exclusively at WrestleMania, and the prediction here is that this is precisely what he'll do. Sure, this could be construed as 'stupid babyface forgoing more prizes' stuff, but it fits Cody's character arc and why he returned to WWE from AEW in the first place.
He just wants to make Dusty's memory proud.
During an in-ring staredown with Reigns, Rhodes can eyeball the WWE Title more than the Universal. That's something Paul Heyman can pick up on before going off on a rant about his memories of Dusty and what it'd mean to the Rhodes family if Cody failed in his quest.