4 Mistakes WWE has made with Cody Rhodes since his return

Cody Rhodes has been WWE's biggest babyface since returning to the company in 2022. He has legitimized himself not only as a wrestler but also as the Undisputed WWE Champion and the face of the company. Still, the Stamford-based promotion has made some hiccups along the way.

The American Nightmare left WWE in 2016 and began wrestling in the independent scene and later in AEW, where he proved doubters wrong and further cultivated his character and in-ring skills. In 2022, he returned to the Stamford-based promotion and quickly became one of its fastest-growing stars.

At WrestleMania XL, the 39-year-old finished his story by defeating Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, ending the latter's reign at 1,316 days. His story to the top has been successful, but the star has also faced some roadblocks along the way, especially during his ongoing title reign.

In this list, we will look at four mistakes WWE has made with Cody Rhodes since his return.

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#4. Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso were the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions for 9 days

After Jey Uso left the OG Bloodline and moved to RAW in 2023, the first person who welcomed him with open arms despite their past issues was The American Nightmare. To further solidify their friendship, they won the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Title at the 2023 Fastlane by defeating Damian Priest and Finn Balor, only to lose it to the former Judgment Day duo nine days later on the October 16 edition of RAW.

Cody and Jey winning the tag team title seems like a blur now and can even be seen as a random title exchange. It didn't further them as champions, individuals, or a team since they didn't remain a duo for long. Dropping the gold to the same people also seemed confusing and erratic.

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#3. The Rock nearly took his main-event spot at WrestleMania XL

One of the biggest wrestling stories in 2024 was when The Rock returned to initially face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL, nearly stealing Rhodes' spot in the main event despite the 39-year-old winning the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble. However, that was later overturned when "We Want Cody" took over social media.

Although that only proved how much fans wanted to see The American Nightmare as champion, it also demoralized his character a bit and made him seem like a pushover.

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#2. Solo Sikoa has been involved with him too many times already during his championship reign

Cody Rhodes has defended his Undisputed WWE Title against Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Solo Sikoa, and Logan Paul since winning the gold last year. It's quite concerning that after a year, only four men are on this list, and it's because he has battled some of them more than once. Although fans enjoyed his feuds with KO and The Phenomenal One, the one with Sikoa is not a popular choice.

Cody and Sikoa have met several times in the past 12 months. The latter got involved in the title picture after 'Mania XL after assuming the leadership of The Bloodline. They battled at SummerSlam 2024 and then in a Steel Cage Match on SmackDown, and it seems like another match is brewing after Solo attacked the 39-year-old a few weeks ago.

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#1. Cody Rhodes had quite a disappointing feud with Shinsuke Nakamura

From 2023 to 2024, Cody Rhodes feuded with Shinsuke Nakamura on RAW. They were supposed to have a good dynamic given their characters are opposites, but the feud just ended up being forgettable and lackluster.

Both men had a Street Fight and Bull Rope Match, but even those exciting stipulations didn't help save their rivalry. It didn't help elevate Nakamura's character, as he wasn't placed prominently by the company at the time.