{"id":154552,"date":"2026-03-07T18:21:54","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T23:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=154552"},"modified":"2026-03-07T18:23:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T23:23:07","slug":"wwe-has-a-growing-cody-rhodes-problem-with-only-one-way-to-fix-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/03\/07\/wwe-has-a-growing-cody-rhodes-problem-with-only-one-way-to-fix-it\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE Has a Growing Cody Rhodes Problem with Only One Way to Fix It"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is hard to believe that just two WrestleManias ago, fans exploded out of their seats with joy as Cody Rhodes finally finished his year-plus-long redemption story<\/a>, dethroning Roman Reigns and ending his record-setting title reign. From the moment he returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 all the way through his triumphant victory at WrestleMania 40, no one else in the company was more over and more beloved than the grandson of a plumber. But time has a way of changing things and sometimes, not for the better.<\/p>\n

Cody Rhodes Finished His Story, and Fans Don’t Want a Sequel<\/h2>\n

For as great as Cody Rhodes was as a chaser, his first reign as champion was somewhat lackluster. In his just over one year run with the belt, Rhodes defended the title only nine times against five opponents: AJ Styles, Logan Paul, Solo Sikoa, Kevin Owens, and John Cena. Sure, some of the matches were good and storylines compelling, but after waiting for two years to see Rhodes with the championship, the end result fell short of expectations. His second reign, which lasted just over five months, was patently worse<\/a>, marked largely by a clock-turning-back match for John Cena and saved only by the work of persistent foe, Drew McIntyre. McIntyre faced Rhodes in three of the champ’s five defenses, claiming the belt on his third attempt, only to drop it right back to Rhodes after just one successful defense of his own<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And while the Portland crowd seemed to cheer on Rhodes’ win (or perhaps just the novelty excitement of seeing a world title change hands in front of them), numbers – and comments – don’t lie. WWE posted Rhodes’ victory in full on YouTube<\/a>, and the reaction was incredibly negative. In fact, by late Saturday afternoon, the video had just over 28K likes compared to over 100K dislikes. That was nearly doubled from earlier in the morning when the dislikes sat at around 54K. The comments have been just as lethal, with some comparing Rhodes to Hulk Hogan and others referencing his relationship with Triple H. The most liked comment, sitting at about a third of the video’s total likes, summed things up pretty succinctly: “Ruthless Depression.”<\/p>\n

Fatigue Has Set In<\/h3>\n
\"A
Ever since Cody Rhodes finished his story at WrestleMania 40, fans have grown increasingly more vocal about his position on the card.
Photo Credit: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So now, as we enter the third Rhodes’ title reign in just under two years, things have moved into unfamiliar territory for WWE. For the first time since Cody Rhodes returned to the company, he’s not the fan favorite or the guy people want to see with the belt<\/a>. He’s become the so-called golden boy, always getting his way in the end while still denying the entitlement that has come to follow him. Rhodes has shown a little more of his aggressive side of late, but he’s still largely booked as a babyface despite growing boos from the live audience.<\/p>\n

Four years ago, his return was universally celebrated to the tune of 210K+ likes and 10M views. Cody Rhodes walked back in the door and instantly became the company’s most beloved face. Now, that allure seems to have worn off, and so too has the honeymoon phase of his return. Rhodes is still being presented as the good guy for now, but he’s not the one fans want, and it seems clear on Friday, he won’t be greeted with a championship celebration anywhere near the likes of his first one. WWE has to face the fact that they have a growing Cody Rhodes problem<\/a>, and there is really only one way to solve it.
\n<\/p>\n

Cody Rhodes Is on the Verge of Becoming the 2015 Era Roman Reigns<\/h2>\n

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<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Now, reading that, you’re probably asking yourself where the comparison to Cody Rhodes make sense<\/a>? 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.<\/p>\n

Rhodes Needs to Lose More<\/h3>\n
\"A
Cody Rhodes lost his title to Drew McIntyre only to win it right back in his first attempt.
Photo Credit: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>. The time has come to turn Rhodes’ heel, and WrestleMania 42 provides the perfect setting.
\n<\/p>\n

Rewriting His Legacy at WrestleMania<\/h2>\n
\"Orton
Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes wrestled at Night of Champions, where there were teases that Rhodes would turn. Entering WrestleMania 42, it’s time to pull that trigger.
Photo Credit: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If WWE doesn’t opt to pull the trigger on the more aggressive and entitled Cody Rhodes that fans first got a glimpse of this summer<\/a> and again during his feud with Drew McIntyre, then Randy Orton is going to have to do some heavy-lifting for this WrestleMania build. Orton and Rhodes have all the history in the world, and in a way, mirror the storyline Raw has going on with CM Punk and Roman Reigns. Much as Punk brought Reigns into WWE with the Shield<\/a>, Orton brought Rhodes to stardom with Legacy. However, with Punk and Reigns, the two hate each other, and while both are seemingly being presented as babyfaces (though Punk’s actions on Raw put that in some doubt<\/a>), it is that mutual hatred that is driving the heat of the storyline. With Rhodes\/Orton, the last time they met, all we saw was mutual respect. While that worked for King of the Ring, it’s hard to imagine it will be as successful this time around, given all that is at stake.<\/p>\n

During the Legacy years, on-screen, Orton was often portrayed as indifferent to Rhodes<\/a>, only using him and Ted DiBiase Jr. as a means to retain his world title, but off-screen, Rhodes and Orton enjoyed real mentorship and friendship. On more than one occasion, the two have gushed over what the other means to them and their careers. That’s why Cody Rhodes needs to rip the proverbial band-aid off, as the student has finally become the teacher.<\/p>\n

Rhodes has not surpassed everything Orton has done in his career, not by a long shot. But you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who thinks Orton has had a better last four years than his former protege. In large part, Orton has been a background character to Rhodes’ protagonist. He’s been part of the saga, but moreso as a sidekick, helping Rhodes fight off common enemies and having his back along the way. With Orton’s Elimination Chamber win, however, he’s ready to step back into the main event and back to being the main character in his own story. Now, only Rhodes stands in his way. Orton has made no secret that he’d drop Rhodes if it meant getting a shot at his 15th world title, and sure enough, he did just that, taking out Rhodes last with an RKO to win the Elimination Chamber<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Setting the Scene for a Heel Turn<\/h3>\n