Since returning to WWE in 2022, Cody Rhodes By becoming one of the biggest stars in the business as a whole, it surpasses many people’s expectations. He has been at WrestleMania for three years in a row and only a handful left to achieve.
But before he retires from WWE, there are still some things Cody needs to do before he can complete his entire story. It is easy to forget that he has returned to WWE in under five years, making his ascension even more impressive. Let’s take a look at Cody’s to-do list in WWE that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
One match with commercial punk
WWE teased this match several times
- CM Punk returned to WWE in 2023
- CM Punk and Cody Rhodes were the last two left in the 2024 Royal Rumble match
- Both men worked for AEW before returning to WWE
Since signing with AEW in the late 2010s, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes’ careers have been moderately parallel. Both men disillusioned WWE and eventually joined AEW. After that, both leave AEW just to find a way back to WWE.
They both found themselves on each other’s paths and on each other’s side on multiple occasions over the past two years. They must ultimately face off in the ring to find out if each of them are truly a better guy.
Win the King of the Ring
Cody never wore the King’s Crown in WWE
- Cody’s “kingdom” theme song would be appropriate if he was kotr
- He has called himself the “king” in the past
- King of the Ring is one of the few accolades Cody has not achieved in WWE
It seems like a step back to one on the surface, but the King of the Ring still retains some fame in the WWE, thanks to its lineage. Last year he won the Crown Jewel Championship, but Cody Rhodes was not the king of the ring.
It simply soothes Cody during the larger storyline and adds another item to his resume. It may be unlikely that Cody will compete in the King of the Rings. This is one of the few things he hasn’t done in WWE yet.
Leading his own faction
Cody Rhodes never led a major faction in WWE
- Cody Rhodes was a member of the Legacy, but Randy Orton was the leader.
- He has been the WWE Tag Team Champion on multiple occasions
- He was the leader of the AEW nightmare factory. This was a training school for young wrestlers
These days, all major stars in WWE appear to be destined to lead the faction at some point in their careers. Cody was a charter member of Legacy along with Randy Orton and Ted Diviaze, and was a wise cosmic wasteland alongside Ascension, but he was not a single leader.
Cody has strong leadership skills. He is a premier of Bullet Club and The Elite, who attempted to introduce him during AEW. It’s highly likely that he will eventually form a group of his own, especially as WWE’s back targets grow over time.
Reveal what Lock handed him in Raw after WrestleMania40
We still don’t know what the rock means, “Don’t break the rock’s heart again.”
- The story of Cody Rhodes and Rock has been intertwined since 2024
- Rock told Cody Rhodes that he wanted his “soul” in early 2025
- Cody Rhodes declined the offer for Locke, so John Cena took it instead.
If it fits the episode of Unsolved mystery, Rock deals with Cody Rhodes in the night after WrestleMania 40 and gives him something that has not been revealed yet. Rock told Cody, “I didn’t need to open my hands to know what it was.” Rhodes seemed to understand.
However, Cody has not yet shared with the world what the content is. It’s been over a year and you may never know what Rock was handed to Cody. As we tell you, this story is still unfolding and the mystery may eventually unfold.
Win the US Championship
Cody Rhodes has never held the WWE US Championship
- Cody Rhodes is a two-time intercontinental champion
- He is a former WWE indisputable champion
- Cody Rhodes is WWE’s multiple-time tag team champion
It’s a bit difficult to believe that “American Nightmare” never won the United States Championship. It seems to fit perfectly with his gimmick, and it’s almost inevitable that he will do that one day.
There are several ways to present Cody as an American champion, and like John Cena a decade ago, he certainly managed to raise the title. His rule could easily reflect the uncertainty of American growth by simply applying his nightmare moniker to it.
Give Travis Scott a worthy receipt
The rapper blacked Cody’s eyes in the elimination chamber.
- Travis Scott was inexplicably inserted into the WWE storyline and headed for WrestleMania41
- Cody Rhodes got black eyes from Travis Scott’s slap at Elimination Chamber 2025
- Cody Rhodes delivers Crossroads to Travis Scott at WrestleMania 41
Most fans feel that Travis Scott has easily gotten off on the “receipt” he received from Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania 41.
Fans are still screaming for Rhodes to give better practices to rappers, rivaling the black eyes he gave to the former champions of the Elimination Chamber. There will be time to see if Cody could have got Travis Scott’s blood.
Successful WWE Championship with WrestleMania
Cody failed in his first title defense at WrestleMania 41
- Cody Rhodes defeated the rule of Rome at WrestleMania 40 to win the indisputable title of WWE
- He’ll drop the title to John Cena in a year
- John Cena broke the record-highest ever, winning his 17th WWE World Title
Cody’s Cinderella story will dramatically peak with victory over Roman rule at WrestleMania 40. He held the title for over a year and lost to John Cena at WrestleMania 41.
That includes not only reclaiming WWE’s indisputable title, but also successfully defending it with WrestleMania. This is less feat than you could have imagined, and if he wants to be the greatest man of all time, Cody needs to do so.
Feud with Randy Orton
Cody Rhodes’s story in WWE began with Randy Orton
- Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton were Legacy partners
- Cody acknowledges Orton many of his early successes
- The two have not yet wrestled since Cody Rhodes returned to WWE.
Since Cody returned to WWE in 2022, the concept of a match/feud between him and former legacy cohort Randy Orton has come close. The two have been interacting on TV many times, and have kept their backs on each other.
In early 2025, Randy warned Cody that he would eventually come for his title. Cody has since lost the championship, but this match/rival relationship is something fans want to see as the two men have a lot of history with each other.
Fight one-on-one rocks
Lock pinned Cody Rhodes in a tag team match on WrestleMania40
- Both Rock and Cody Rhodes are second generation wrestlers.
- Iwa tried to get Cody to turn his heels. In front of WrestleMania 41
- Cody Rhodes will decline the offer of lock in a vulgar way
The saga between Rock and Cody Rhodes is pretty unlikely and comes from the creative pivot of 2024. Since then, Rock has had a personal grudge against Cody and has untold Cody’s mother.
The need for a resolution is still beckoned in this story, and Cody must inevitably face the “last boss” if he wants to free himself from this intertwined struggle of power. Several other figures have been inserted into the feud, including John Cena and Travis Scott, but the real source of the conflict lies between Cody and the Rock.
Turn the heel
Cody has to turn his heels to finally solidify his legacy
- Cody Rhodes worked as a heel on his first run at WWE
- Since signing with AEW in 2019, Cody Rhodes has been a babyface
- Cody has a look that can be easily presented as a heel
We must honor Cody Rhodes for being true to ourselves over the past six years. Many had asked him to turn back his heels when he was in AEW, but he declined. He then rejected Rock’s offer to give him a soul in the beginning of 2025.
But when Cody needs to embrace the true core of “American Nightmare,” it eventually arrives. All he needs to do is lean even further towards the aura of dishonest politicians and embrace the state of the country that is at odds with itself and the state of the country that has rapidly degenerated its sense of morale. Heel Cody Rhodes is a potential game changer.
