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Cody Rhodes will join hands with Roman Reigns to face The Bloodline at WWE Bad Blood. The Undisputed WWE Champion will add yet another chapter to his story with The OTC and his family in Atlanta, continuing an on-and-off involvement that has been running for almost two years now. The American Nightmare is widely expected to deal with Reigns, Sikoa, and his allies at Survivor Series and The Rock upon his return, meaning this entanglement is not about to end.
Some Bloodline fans have been vocally against it, opining that the faction's story is about family and thus doesn't need him. On the other end of the table, many fans of the 38-year-old feel his involvement with the group hampers his Undisputed WWE Championship reign. Either way, it's a popular sentiment that the former AEW star needs to wrap up his dealings with The Bloodline sometime soon for the good of both parties.
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Here are four ways WWE could bring Cody Rhodes' involvement with The Bloodline to a permanent end.
#4: Kevin Owens and/or Randy Orton turning on Cody Rhodes could change his direction on WWE SmackDown
For almost two years, Cody Rhodes has been one of WWE's spearheads in the fight against The Bloodline. Right next to him in the trenches, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton have been two of his biggest allies. All three men have fought both versions of the faction, losing multiple world title opportunities and even time off their careers.
It's not likely to sit well with them that Rhodes is teaming up with their great foe after all the agony they have been through on Reigns' account. This could cause the duo, who have previously been infamous for turning on their allies, to snap on The American Nightmare. It could also take the champion in a totally different direction, similar to how feuding with Brock Lesnar did in 2023.
#3: Cody Rhodes may not be free from The Bloodline until he gets drafted to another brand
Before Cody Rhodes won the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania XL, he was a mainstay on RAW. The American Nightmare was an uncrowned champion on the red brand, becoming a pillar of its main event scene while Roman Reigns had a stranglehold on the world title. The former Legacy member's interactions with the group were few and far between, keeping them special.
If Triple H and Co. want to recapture that magic, they may need to separate the two parties once more. Whether it would be the 38-year-old crossing over to the flagship show or Solo Sikoa and his group moving to the red brand, is a subject of debate for another day. What's becoming increasingly clear is that as long as Cody Rhodes and The Bloodline are on the same brand, they will always clash.
#2: A singles match with The Rock may be the endgame for Cody Rhodes with The Bloodline
Cody Rhodes has gone through it all with The Bloodline. He has pinned and been pinned by Solo Sikoa, defeated and lost to Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania, and even fought and teamed up with Jey Uso. His business with all of the "big hitters" in the group has pretty much been handled, but there's one glaring piece of unfinished business: his long-teased singles match with The Rock.
Although The American Nightmare was the biggest winner at WrestleMania XL, The Brahma Bull had the upper hand on him throughout the road to The Show Of Shows. The 10-time world champion even pinned the current Undisputed WWE Champion on Night 1, a fact he reminded the latter of two nights later on RAW, promising that they would meet down the road.
When Rhodes finally defeats The Great One, he will have no more unfinished business with The Bloodline, allowing him to move on permanently.
#1: Cody Rhodes may need one more Undisputed WWE Title match against Roman Reigns to be free of The Bloodline
Cody Rhodes's problems with The Bloodline began when he set eyes on The Undisputed WWE Title, then on the shoulders of Roman Reigns. The American Nightmare chased the title for almost two years, nearly having to go through the entire faction to get to it. It was a long road that saw him fight everyone from Solo Sikoa to The Rock, making him arguably the group's greatest rival.
However, all roads always seem to lead back to Roman Reigns for the champion, so The OTC may be the ultimate destination to wrap up his involvement with The Bloodline. With or without the title, Rhodes vs Reigns III seems like the neatest way to close the chapter, preferably without any interference to establish once and for all who the better man is.
The two of them started it, and the two of them should end it.
