Cody Rhodes Is on the Verge of Becoming the 2015 Era Roman Reigns
In 2015, Roman Reigns stood victorious, having won his first Royal Rumble. He was certainly not met with the hero’s welcome he received when he won the 2026 Royal Rumble, however. That’s because back then, WWE was still trying to push Reigns as its top babyface despite the fans’ vocal protestations. After the Shield broke up in 2014, Reigns was the company’s chosen star, whereas the fans wanted to see Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, or really anyone else, assume the mantle. But WWE, much as they did when they chose Reigns for the Shield in the first place, wanted their guy, no matter how unpopular he was. WWE brought in the Rock to celebrate Reigns’ Rumble win, hoping the sheer presence of the man would create an opportunity for cheers. It didn’t work. They tried to make fans sympathetic to Reigns by having Triple H use his role as on-screen boss and backstage decision-maker to screw the Big Dog. It didn’t work. They even had Sheamus cash in on Reigns after just a five-minute run with the title, hoping that when he regained the belt by overcoming Sheamus and the entire League of Nations, fans would support him. While there was a short-term positive reaction that night, long-term, it didn’t work.
Nothing WWE did to get Reigns over worked, and the truth was, nothing would have. It didn’t help that he was pushed down everyone’s throats and that he rarely lost cleanly, but the fact of the matter was, Reigns wasn’t ready. He didn’t fully have a grasp on his character outside of the enforcer he was during the Shield’s run. His promo skills were lacking. And in the ring, “you can’t wrestle” chants supported Reigns being a spot guy, with his five moves of doom, as it were.
Now, reading that, you’re probably asking yourself where the comparison to Cody Rhodes make sense? Rhodes isn’t a spot guy; he’s great on the mic, and he was pretty much over since day one of his second run in WWE. It’s totally different from Reigns’ story. Only, it’s really not.
Rhodes Needs to Lose More
Photo Credit: WWE
Where Cody Rhodes is now is dangerously close to where Roman Reigns was in 2015. Fans didn’t want Rhodes to win the 2026 Royal Rumble (which would have been his third in a row – he didn’t compete in the multi-man match in 2025) or Elimination Chamber, as there has very much developed a “been there, done that” attitude with the QB1. According to DraftKings, since returning to WWE in 2022, Rhodes has been the world champion a total of 538 days, which roughly equates to just under 40% of his entire run. His televised/PLE win-loss record is almost unbelievable at 49-7. Including house shows, dark matches, and multi-man matches, Rhodes didn’t lose his first match back in WWE until WrestleMania 39. Unlike most champions, where losing non-title matches to set up title feuds is the norm, Rhodes’ run on top was all but blemish-free. Since WrestleMania 40 ended nearly two years ago, Rhodes has lost just four singles matches, and some of those losses weren’t clean.
It’s hard to argue that anyone has been more protected in WWE of late than Cody Rhodes, which is likely why he’s drawing comparisons to Hulk Hogan on social media. Now, Rhodes’ protection is nothing compared to what Reigns enjoyed during his nearly four-year run at the top. Reigns was pinned just three times across his 1,000+ day title reign. The difference, though? He was the heel. Heels are supposed to win a lot because they don’t always come by their victories honestly. Sure enough, Reigns fit that mold, often using the Bloodline to take pins in multi-man matches or to protect his title. The resilient babyface act only really works when there is something or someone to overcome. It’s hard to rally behind a guy when they never lose, and that’s the situation Rhodes is in now.
That leaves WWE with one choice, and a choice that fans have been speculating about for close to a year now, ever since the Rock tried to take his soul. The time has come to turn Rhodes’ heel, and WrestleMania 42 provides the perfect setting.
