The Good & The Bad: Cody Rhodes' 200-Day Undisputed WWE Championship Reign

Sid Pullar III | Oct 25, 2024

Cody Rhodes / WWE

Cody Rhodes has established himself as the top star in all of WWE after finishing his story by defeating Roman Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40. Since then, "The American Nightmare" has held the title for 200 days in an impressive run with the company's top prize. From his continued rivalry with The Bloodline to his recent issues with former friend Kevin Owens, Cody's reign has seen its positives and negatives. Here are three pros and three cons for Cody Rhodes' Undisputed WWE Title reign so far.

Good: Cody Rhodes is a workhorse champion

WWE.com

After winning the Undisputed WWE Championship, Cody Rhodes stated that he wanted to be a workhorse champion that wanted to make every town and every show. Rhodes has done exactly that in defending his title against a variety of challengers on the house shows and major events. Whether on the microphone or inside the squared circle, Cody has proven himself to be the face of WWE and worked hard to establish himself as a top babyface that all fans can count on no matter where they go to see the company.

Bad: Cody's reign feels secondary to The Bloodline storyline on SmackDown

While his status as Undisputed WWE Champion should mean Cody is the top star on the SmackDown brand, The Bloodline saga has remained as the most important storyline on the show. Solo Sikoa's mission to cement himself as "The Tribal Chief" and recruiting new members has garnered the most time and focus from the creative team. Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa have all received considerable pushes, while the return of Roman Reigns has brought even more spotlight to their story.

Good: Cody is WWE's top merchandise mover

WWE.com

Cody Rhodes has not only delivered inside the ring and on the microphone, but he has also filled WWE's pockets where it matters the most. Rhodes has headlined multiple sell out shows for the company, and moved a ton of merchandise. Becoming WWE's top merchandise seller, Cody has confirmed that he can still be a draw even after his chase for the top spot was over.

Bad: Lack of storyline investment

WWE.com

While Cody Rhodes has put on some barnburners during his run with the title, there has felt like there hasn't been much storyline investment in his feuds leading up to his defenses. While AJ Styles got another shot at the gold after a showstealer at Backlash France and his fake retirement, the most focus Cody's storylines has gotten is when he was opposite The Bloodline's Solo Sikoa. More recently, Kevin Owens turning on him has gotten some focus, but this is the first time in a 200-day reign that it feels like Rhodes has gotten some creative focus into one of his storylines.

Good: Cody Rhodes' stellar title defenses

WWE.com

Cody Rhodes was part of one of the most memorable WrestleMania main events in history to win the Undisputed WWE Championship, but he has only continued to deliver phenomenal bouts since then. From his instant classic against AJ Styles at Backlash France to an emotional battle with Kevin Owens at Bash In Berlin, Cody has delivered time in, time out in the ring throughout this reign. His stellar title defenses have been the hallmark of a fabulous run as the top champion in the company.

Bad: Roman Reigns overshadows Cody Rhodes

Roman Reigns returns to fight off the Bloodline after Cody Rhodes def. Solo Sikoa inside a steel cage. / wwe.com

At SummerSlam, Roman Reigns returned to help Cody Rhodes defeat Solo Sikoa to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship. Since then, The Bloodline saga has gotten even more storyline investment and focus on SmackDown, which has caused some fans to feel Rhodes has been overshadowed.

Despite holding the top prize in WWE, Cody has felt secondary to whatever Roman is doing with The Bloodline. Even when Rhodes teamed with Reigns at Bad Blood, it felt like Cody was playing second fiddle to the real top star's program. This has made Cody's reign feel similar to Macho Man Randy Savage's 1988 WWE Title run when Hulk Hogan was still the number one babyface in the promotion. WWE has to do their best to keep Rhodes in a top position despite Reigns' presence on the same brand.

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