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Seth Rollins has been an unstoppable force as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. But that could change at Payback 2023, as he could lose his title to his former rival, Cody Rhodes, at the event.
For those unaware, the Stamford-based promotion teased reigniting The Visionary's rivalry against The American Nightmare a few weeks ago on WWE RAW.
On the July 3, 2023, edition of the red show, Rhodes interrupted Rollins' promo segment. However, Brock Lesnar showed up to confront The American Nightmare before he could say anything.
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The Architect recently teased a feud against Cody Rhodes for the World Heavyweight Championship. In an interview with USA Today, Rollins stated that he was open to defending his title against Rhodes if The American Nightmare could survive Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2023.
While Cody Rhodes will lock horns with The Beast, Rollins is scheduled to defend his title against Finn Balor at SummerSlam. If both men emerge victorious at the event, a potential Rhodes vs. Rollins rivalry leading to a title match at Payback 2023 could be in the cards.
If that is indeed the case, Rhodes could be the one to dethrone The Architect at the September 2, 2023 event. With three consecutive wins, The American Nightmare has been undefeated against Seth Rollins since returning to WWE last year.
Given the history between the duo, Rhodes has a massive edge over Rollins. Furthermore, The Architect recently revealed in an interview that he could need back surgery in the near future. Hence, he could be taking some time off for the same following his potential loss against the 38-year-old.
Given that, it wouldn't be surprising if the company has Rollins drop his title to Rhodes in a high-profile match at Payback to take some time off for surgery.
Seth Rollins on his three straight losses against Cody Rhodes last year in WWE
As mentioned earlier, Seth Rollins was involved in a highly personal feud with Cody Rhodes last year. Their rivalry yielded three blockbuster matches. However, Rollins failed to prevail over The American Nightmare on each occasion.
Later in an interview with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport, The Architect shared his honest opinion on his three heartbreaking losses against Rhodes. He said:
"I think I came out of it a lot better than when I went into it. I don't think in any way that I suffered from losing three times in a row. If anything, I, in some ways, got more respect for having the humility to put my self-interest aside to work with someone who is coming back into this world [WWE] from his past world [AEW], needed it a lot more than I did. My equity is not going anywhere, and he needed to re-establish himself."
Will the company reignite Seth Rollins' rivalry against Cody Rhodes following SummerSlam? Only time will tell.
Should Cody Rhodes be the one to dethrone Seth Rollins? Sound off in the comments section below.
