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Reigning Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has a major task ahead of him at Royal Rumble 2025. While the majority of the superstars are preparing for the 30-man Rumble Match, The American Nightmare is set to battle Kevin Owens in a Ladder Match for the title.
Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes have been feuding with each other since October 2024 after the 39-year-old teamed up with Roman Reigns at Bad Blood. KO attacked The American Nightmare in the parking lot after the match to establish his heel turn. The bitter rivals faced each other for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Saturday Night's Main Event last month.
The match ended with Cody Rhodes retaining his title before being subjected to a post-match attack by The Prizefighter, who also stole the Winged Eagle Title. Both men are set to settle their score at the Royal Rumble in a Ladder Match, with both titles suspended above the ring. Given how intense KO has been for the past few months, he might just be able to pull off the win.
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In this list, we will look at four things that may happen if Cody Rhodes loses at Royal Rumble 2025:
#4. Cody Rhodes may encounter an old rival
Cody Rhodes faced many enemies en route to becoming the Undisputed WWE Champion at WrestleMania XL. Interestingly, his first rival post his return in 2022 turned out to be the reason why he became champion last year. However, Seth Rollins might have a change of heart.
On this week's Monday Night RAW, The Visionary expressed his anger at Sami Zayn for reuniting with Roman Reigns. Considering that Rhodes has also helped Reigns in the past few months, Rollins may begin a non-title feud with Cody if the 39-year-old loses the title on February 1.
#3. John Cena's future might be affected
Fans have been pushing for John Cena to be a history-maker in his Farewell Tour by becoming a 17-time World Champion. One easy way to do that is by winning the Men's Royal Rumble. Although there are two world champions for John to target, the company will likely book The Doctor of Thuganomics to face Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Title if Cena wins the 30-man gimmick match. However, Cody losing the title to Kevin Owens might force The Cenation Leader to pivot.
If John wins the Men's Rumble Match and Cody loses his title to KO, The Franchise Player may challenge Gunther instead of Kevin. This is because Owens would be a fairly new champion at that point, and it wouldn't be wise on the creative team's part to have the Hollywood star dethrone him at 'Mania. Also, considering how The Ring General has been presented in the past few years, John is seemingly one of the few people who can dethrone him.
#2. Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes might be joined by another familiar face
If Cody loses the Undisputed WWE Championship in Indianapolis next month, he will likely hunt it down again and continue his feud with Owens. However, another superstar who may get involved is Randy Orton.
Before Kevin started his full-fledged feud with Cody, he was embroiled in a heated rivalry with The Apex Predator. The Prizefighter nailed a Package Piledriver on Randy last November, sidelining the latter with an injury. Orton has since been absent from WWE television, but he may return soon and immediately target KO.
However, The Viper may also change his views on Cody since he has had his own differences with Roman and the OG Bloodline in the past. This can lead to a Triple Threat Match between them at WrestleMania.
#1. Sami Zayn may win the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble and face Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 41
Several names could feud with The Prizefighter for the Undisputed Championship if KO dethrones Cody Rhodes at the Royal Rumble. The best option is arguably Sami Zayn. The Prizefighter and The Underdog from The Underground have been friends for years but have also fought each other several times in WWE. However, they have never faced each other in a world title match.
Sami's alliance with the OG Bloodline and, especially, Roman Reigns has already warranted him to be on Kevin's bad side. Should Zayn challenge KO after the latter's potential win at the Royal Rumble, The Prizefighter could reject his advances for a title match. However, Owens may not have a choice if his former tag-team partner wins the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble Match.
