Cody Rhodes to be forced to relinquish his Undisputed WWE Championship due to injury? Exploring the potential

At Royal Rumble 2025, Cody Rhodes successfully defended his Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens in a brutal encounter. The American Nightmare left the Prizefighter motionless at the end of the match and even celebrated his victory on top of the announcer’s table, seemingly mocking Owens. However, following this intense title bout, WWE made a major announcement, revealing that Cody had suffered multiple injuries.

This news was delivered by Jackie Redmond during the post-show, though the severity of the injury remains unknown. However, it was serious enough that Rhodes was unable to attend the post-show press conference. Despite this, WWE confirmed that Cody will appear on the upcoming episode of SmackDown, though his in-ring future remains uncertain.

This situation has sparked speculation that Cody Rhodes could be forced to relinquish his Undisputed WWE Championship if the injury proves severe. However, it remains unclear whether this injury is a legitimate concern or a storyline angle. Previously, WWE wrote Rhodes off television through a kayfabe injury when Owens delivered a package piledriver, only for Cody to return days later to reignite their feud.

This time, no concrete details have been disclosed. This means fans will have to wait for official updates either from a reliable source or from Rhodes’ SmackDown appearance. If the injury is serious, Triple H may have no choice but to strip Rhodes of the championship, forcing him into an unfortunate hiatus. This is especially significant as we have officially entered the most crucial period of the year, which is the Road to WrestleMania 41.

However, if this is purely a storyline injury, it’s highly unlikely that Cody will relinquish the title. Instead, he might remain champion despite being off television for a short period.

---

Why WWE may write Cody Rhodes off television for storyline injury

As we approach Elimination Chamber 2025, Cody Rhodes’ potential WrestleMania 41 opponent is still unknown. With Jey Uso seemingly set to challenge Gunther at WrestleMania following his Royal Rumble victory, Cody is left without a clear challenger for the Showcase of Immortals. The Elimination Chamber match could determine his next opponent.

One possible reason Triple H may have introduced this injury storyline is to sell the barbaric nature of the match and also to temporarily write Cody off TV until the next PLE. This allows the company to temporarily set Cody Rhodes' storyline aside and focus entirely on building up the next Premium Live Event.

For those unaware, Elimination Chamber 2025 will serve as the final stop before this year's Show of Shows.

Regardless, fans can only hope for the best and that the Undisputed Champion won’t have to deliver any unfortunate real-life news on SmackDown this week.