10 New Directions For WWE After The 2024 Draft
2. Cody Rhodes Exclusively On SmackDown
This will be important.
WWE would be p*ssing all over their own gimmick if they had Cody Rhodes tout some predictable 'free pass' clout by using his newly-won title as an excuse to appear on Raw and SmackDown. Please don't do that, Triple H. Keep Cody exclusively on Friday nights, and let the rest of the champions breathe easy over on Mondays.
Rhodes is Mr. Popular right now, but he shouldn't be relied upon to carry both major brands, especially this soon after the end of the 2024 Draft. If the Draft rules dictate that fans have to wait for mega-matches like Cody vs. GUNTHER, then that's just the way it is. No inter-brand cross-pollination allowed!
SmackDown needs Rhodes. Roman Reigns is absent right now, and he wasn't even a full-timer during his lengthy Undisputed Title run anyway. The thought of Cody turning SmackDown into his show every week is appealing, and it's what WWE should do.
That could feed into The Rock's eventual return to "reclaim it" as well. Ahem.