WWE Hall of Famer elaborates on Cody Rhodes' "underwhelming" title reign

WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes finally finished his story earlier this year. The American Nightmare rose to the occasion at WrestleMania XL and put the kibosh on Roman Reigns' reign at 1,316 days. Since then, the 39-year-old has defended his Undisputed WWE Title against AJ Styles (twice), Logan Paul, and Solo Sikoa.

However, a section of fans have labeled the SmackDown Superstar's reign as 'underwhelming!' During a recent episode of Busted Open Radio, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray addressed the issue, claiming The American Nightmare's "underwhelming" title reign was due to the absence of a "mega heel" on the roster.

Since WrestleMania XL, where The Rock stood in his way as a menacing heel, Cody Rhodes has not been able to find a challenger who could pose a threat to his title like The Final Boss. Ray claimed that The Great One remained the ultimate heel who could make the audience suspend disbelief.

"He [Cody] hasn't had a heel like The Rock. Now I know we're asking a lot. It's difficult to come out of an angle that main-evented WrestleMania with a guy portraying the heel like The Rock was and then find somebody who could be at the same level as The Rock. So you're dealing with challengers who are heels, but nobody who's posing the threat that The Rock did. So, underwhelming, because I don't think we've had the right mega heel," he said. [H/T: Wrestling Inc.]

Meanwhile, Cody will defend his title against Solo Sikoa in a Steel Cage Match on this week's SmackDown. Ahead of the match, WWE analyst Sam Roberts claimed Sikoa could pull off a shocker this Friday.

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Bully Ray praises Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes' old-school approach

Despite criticism from certain sections about his title reign, there is no doubt that Cody Rhodes has been a workhorse champion in and outside the squared circle. The American Nightmare has defended his gold several times during live events and on television.

Additionally, the 39-year-old has gone out of his way to connect with the WWE Universe through personal meet-ups and social media engagement. During the same episode of Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray complimented Cody for his old-school approach as a babyface champion.

At the end of the day, though, the Hall of Famer conceded that Cody's reign as Undisputed WWE Champion has been "underwhelming" thus far.

"I love Cody doing the old school way; I love that Cody has the kids in his back pocket; I love that Cody goes above and beyond the call of duty for just about every fan that he meets; I love that Cody answers people on social media; I love that Cody shows up at people's weddings. I love all that, but if I have to be honest and fair about an assessment about something, it's a bit underwhelming. I think it's underwhelming because of the lack of super heels," he added.

Meanwhile, The American Nightmare has been repeatedly asked during media interactions about his inevitable showdown with The Final Boss. The reigning champion admitted that it could happen in 2025 and that he was ready to go. It will be interesting to see if The Rock returns to WWE TV in the coming months.