Cody Rhodes is still the Undisputed WWE Champion and the face of the company. However, he receives a lot of criticism as champ. Some of the critiques are valid, as his babyface appeal is dwindling due to the lack of heel challengers on his show. However, as a spokesperson for the company and the new face of the WWE, WWE will continue to invest in his marketability. Here are three major threats to Cody Rhodes' title reign.
Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre is currently the biggest threat to Rhodes's title reign, as he is scheduled for a 3 Stages Of Hell match against Rhodes on the first SmackDown of 2026. He has had a dramatic storyline with Rhodes recently, as he has been obsessed with finally winning the WWE Title in front of fans. His home was even invaded by Rhodes in what was the segment of the year. McIntyre has jumped through so many hoops to get to the WWE Title, so this could be his time to finally redeem himself.
Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is heavily rumored to battle Cody Rhodes for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 42 in what would be a trilogy of sorts after their prior Mania bouts at 39 and 40 respectively. Their track record is 1-1, so a third match would break the tie. However, WWE would have to turn Rhodes heel to make this interesting and fresh because Reigns recently turned babyface and it would be less exciting to turn him back to a heel merely to do the same story they already did two Manias in a row.
Randy Orton
Randy Orton does not have the momentum he needs for a WWE Title match, but he does have history with Rhodes that no one else on the roster can replicate. After Rhodes battled his first match in WWE against Orton back in 2007, Orton took Rhodes under his wing in a mentor-pupil partnership. Back then, Rhodes was a supportive sidekick for Orton's WWE Title reign. Now, the roles have reversed with Orton being a supportive sidekick for Rhodes' WWE Title run. The story writes itself.
Honorable Mention: The Rock
The Rock pinned Rhodes back on Night 1 of Mania 40, promised to give Rhodes' mother a belt stained with her son's blood, traded titles with Rhodes on the Raw after Mania, and even wanted his soul. Booking logic would necessitate a payoff or some form of comeuppance for Rhodes. However, The Rock disappeared and let the story rot with zero follow-through. If he returns to wrap up that story, he would be a threat to this title reign and could have a triple threat with Reigns included.
If you're not down with just that and would like even more WWE SmackDown Coverage from Mark Justice, check out more of his articles right here on Daily DDT and subscribe to his new YouTube channel by clicking HERE.