Cody Rhodes may not be able to conquer THIS WWE Superstar upon return, analyst says (not The Rock) 

Cody Rhodes has a plethora of potential challengers as WWE is preparing for its Netflix debut on January 6, 2025. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson could ultimately dethrone him on account of his star value, possibly at WrestleMania 41, especially considering The Final Boss' proclamation that he will be back for the new Undisputed WWE Champion. However, based on some subtle hints of late, analyst Sam Roberts believes Triple H & Co. can throw a curveball.

Kevin Owens appears to be next in line, but Roberts is not convinced that the former Universal Champion will dethrone The American Nightmare. While he did not rule it out, the analyst brought up Randy Orton as the biggest threat for Rhodes aside from The Rock at this point.

Speaking on Notsam Wrestling, Sam Roberts elaborated on a potential Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton match, perhaps as soon as the Royal Rumble on February 1, 2025. He feels The Viper is a legitimate threat to the Undisputed WWE Champion's reign:

"But Randy Orton is the one he's going to be dealing with upon return. By looking at the calendar, I don't know, we may end up not having Cody or Randy Orton in the Royal Rumble match because that may be your WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble," Sam Roberts stated. "If that were to happen, it would make things even more compelling, because I feel like Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes is a match that people believe could go either way." [From 57:20 to 57:48]

All of the problems The Viper has been dealing with of late began after The American Nightmare decided to work with Roman Reigns at Bad Blood. He was recently hit with a Piledriver by his former tag team partner, Kevin Owens.

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Kevin Owens will return to WWE SmackDown this Friday to address Cody Rhodes

SmackDown's sheriff, Nick Aldis, had suspended Kevin Owens after what transpired between the latter and Randy Orton. Cody Rhodes demanded that Aldis reinstate Owens last Friday, otherwise he will take matters into his own hands. The Prizefighter's return for next week's episode was later announced.

There are rumblings that Kevin Owens will once again challenge Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at Survivor Series: WarGames on November 30. If the bout gets booked, it will mark their second encounter this year after squaring off as babyfaces three months ago at Bash in Berlin.

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If you use the quote, please credit Notsam Wrestling and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.