3 Upcoming Potential Challenges for Cody Rhodes Post His Crown Jewel Battle

‘The American Nightmare’ Cody Rhodes has been on a strong and steady rise in the WWE Universe. Rhodes has made it big as a leading babyface and has been bagging the big matches as WWE’s top gun. Rhodes is currently heading into his next big clash against Judgment Day’s Damian Priest at Crown Jewel 2023.

While the American Nightmare will face Priest in Saudi Arabia, there is a high chance his story will take a turn afterward. With several big moves to be expected in WWE, the number of possible pathways can be tracked down. Here are the three upcoming potential challengers Rhodes will run into post his Crown Jewel match.

The return of a frenemy

‘Legend Killer’ Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes perhaps have one of the most intertwined and complex pasts. The duo has teamed up and clashed multiple times across their wrestling careers, blurring the boundary between friend and enemy. Orton was last seen in WWE in May 2022 when he lost his tag titles to The Usos. While the duo already has history, Rhodes’ current association with Jey Uso will definitely turn The Viper against him. 

The Apex Predator is rumored to be making a return very soon. Although he was projected to make a comeback on the Survivor Series, he can easily land an RKO out of nowhere way sooner. 

Read more- A Look Inside Cody Rhodes’ Impressive Mansion

While Randy Orton is a forever looming threat to Cody Rhodes, there’s a chance he might pick up a new fight himself. In fact, recent developments suggest that he could be looking forward to a feud with the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins.

Cody Rhodes might take the fight to Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins or Drew McIntyre

Cody Rhodes has been going on about completing his story for a significant amount of time now. The WWE title means a lot to Rhodes as it is the only title he has never won. Moreover, the title had also eluded his father, Dusty Rhodes, throughout his career. Now that he is fighting for the RAW brand, he can easily aim to go after Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins. While this may complete the story of Rhodes, it will be a fitting turn in the journey of Rollins. 

Rollins’ body is slowly losing its vitality, especially due to his injured back. With a high chance of Rollins passing on the championship, Cody Rhodes makes the perfect candidate for it. However, this will also pit him against Drew McIntyre. The Scottish wrestler is already after the championship and has a vendetta against Rhodes for bringing Jey Uso to RAW. 

The Usos had cost McIntyre his title shot against Reigns in 2022. This, however, isn’t the last of the enemies of the babyface. In fact, he has made one more enemy by messing with different brands.

The American Nightmare to trade blows with Sami Zayn

Although Cody Rhodes’ move of bringing Jey Uso was heavily lauded by everyone, there was another wrestler who didn’t like it at all. The void left by Jey in SmackDown was filled by RAW sending over its Prizefighter, Kevin Owens, to the blue brand. This effectively ruptured the partnership between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. The duo have been each other’s friends and enemies ever since their days in NXT. The two were in a longstanding cordial dynamic recently.

But, Rhodes’ uncalled-for interference changed that. Zayn may harbor a strong grudge against ‘The American Nightmare’ for this reason. Moreover, Zayn recently announced himself as a WWE World Heavyweight Championship-level wrestler. 

Which way do you think the tide will shift for Cody Rhodes? Share your thoughts in the comments. 

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