Cody Rhodes won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40 by defeating Roman Reigns. (Credit: ... [+]
Cody Rhodes entered WWE Clash At The Castle 2024 as the Universal Champion and left the same way after defeating AJ Styles in an “I Quit” match.
“The American Nightmare” won the bout after threatening to hit a handcuffed Styles with the steel ring steps as “The Phenomenal One” threw in the towel to avoid a punishing blow from the champion. The victory marked the third successful title defense of Rhodes’ championship reign and his second win over Styles.
It was just last month at Backlash that Rhodes defeated Styles in a five-star instant classic, one that seemingly set the stage for “The Phenomenal One” to transform back into a fan favorite. Instead, in the lead-up to Clash at the Castle, Styles pulled off a fantastic Mark Henry-esque fake retirement before betraying Rhodes and firmly entrenching himself as a top heel on SmackDown.
While there was a case to be made for Styles to get one last title run thanks in part to his great character shift, WWE can’t take the title off Rhodes—not right now.
Why? Well, Rhodes is on fire, even being labeled by the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer (h/t Wrestling Inc) as a massive draw, with “Rhodes' drawing numbers were bigger than that of John Cena's during Cena's run as WWE's top babyface.”
In other words, WWE is playing the long game with Rhodes, who has been the top fan favorite during the company’s most successful period in 25 years, if not ever. As WWE ticket sales have soared and Rhodes has been a merchandise-moving powerhouse, he’s proven why he was the right choice to dethrone Roman Reigns and end Reigns’ historic 1,300-day title reign.
And by the looks of things, he won’t be stopping anytime soon—nor should he.
During this year’s WWE draft, it didn't go unnoticed that Monday Night Raw was loaded up with major heels, including Gunther, The Judgment Day and Drew McIntyre. That left Rhodes’ SmackDown brand without a true top heel outside of The Bloodline, which is busy with Solo Sikoa’s takeover and the group’s pending implosion.
Looking ahead, WWE is reportedly eyeing a match between Rhodes and The Rock at WrestleMania 41 next year, which makes sense given that arguably the best-built rivalry en route to WrestleMania 40 was not Reigns vs. Rhodes but actually Reigns vs. The Rock. WWE fans have seen over the course of Triple H’s tenure as the company’s creative head that he typically books with long-term goals in mind.
That should remain true for Rhodes, who is easily the No. 1 star on SmackDown right now and has a clear path to WrestleMania 41. In fact, The Rock recently hinted at major WrestleMania 41 plans, leading to speculation that Rock vs. Rhodes is the long-term plan.
Any feud Rhodes has until then? Well, those will just be placeholder rivalries, unless, of course, a star catches fire and gives WWE no choice but to change plans. Styles just so happensedto make the ideal opponent for Rhodes right now. He’s believable as a top star, stellar in the ring and doing solid character work, three necessary ingredients for a world championship contender.
In this new era, however, WWE tends to stick with lengthy title reigns—see Rhea Ripley, Gunther and Reigns—and though that doesn’t bode well for Styles, it certainly does for Rhodes. He appeared to reignite his feud with The Bloodline, who attacked him after his successful defense over Styles. In the immediate short-term, Rhodes vs. The Bloodline's current leader Solo Sikoa is the planned direction, but again, it’s the long game that really matters.
Thus, three straight successful pay-per-view title defenses for Rhodes are just the beginning. Buckle up and get ready for a long ride that isn’t ending anytime soon.
