Every Current Champion In WWE (And Who Should Beat Them)

1. WWE Title

CM Punk Seth Rollins
WWE

Champion: Cody Rhodes

Who Should Beat Him: Sami Zayn

John Cena will never be WWE Champion again. SummerSlam 2025 was the end point of his link to the top prize in the industry, and that's very much that. Cody Rhodes is the poster boy for this generation, and he'll savour another stint on top with the biggest belt. You might, however, be slightly stunned to see the name posted next to that, "Who Should Beat Him" bit.

Sami Zayn? Yep, Sami Zayn.

He's on a World Title trajectory at the moment. WWE booking has been kind to Zayn recently, and there must be a good reason for it. One can see him emerging victorious in the 2026 Royal Rumble, then challenging for one of the main belts at WrestleMania 42. More to the point, one can see him skipping over the World Heavyweight Championship and going straight to the WWE Title instead.

Crafting the story from there will be the biggest hurdle. Cody has shown an almost superhuman amount of likability in the top babyface role for years now. Latest WWE news breaks say the company won't entertain turning him heel for a while, so does that mean Sami has to go rogue? No, not really. It's been a while since we've had a true face vs. face headliner at 'Mania, and this could be the ticket.

Both guys like and respect one another personally, but they're contesting a title that means everything. It's one Sami has never held in his life (and probably never expected to), and it's one Rhodes protects like his father's legacy depends on it. Imagine the pop if Zayn's long journey culminated in a shock WWE Title win on the grandest stage.

What a powerful piece of human drama that'd be for somebody who has obviously worked his butt off for decades to reach this kind of spot. It'd be unforgettable.

Who do you think should beat all of the reigning WWE Champions? For more wrestling, check out 15 Things We Learned From WWE Unreal and 15 WWE Pushes That IMMEDIATELY Backfired

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.