WWE Hot Take: Royal Rumble Odds Favorite Cody Rhodes is Wrong Pick to Win Men's Match

WWE might wish it and plan for it, but Cody Rhodes winning the men's Royal Rumble match on Sunday for the right to challenge unified champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania just isn't the right move.

In fact, it's not just the incorrect choice—it could be a colossal misstep.

The only correct pick is Sami Zayn.

That's a line of thinking most would have laughed off—or worse—some four months ago. But it's Zayn, and not anyone else, who stepped in and breathed a revitalizing life into Reigns' Bloodline saga as his unified title run started to wear out its welcome with fans.

It's Zayn who, week in and week out, is the must-see spot on WWE programming, the funny but loveable underdog who has organically stepped into an almost write-off-worthy role and exceeded any and all expectations.

It's Zayn who derailed a serious segment to the point of viral hilarity, and Zayn who had a live audience eating out of his hands on the go-home show before the Rumble in a stunning display of just how over he is in this moment.

None of the above can detract from Rhodes, the massive odds favorite. He sensationally returned home to WWE in an effort to win a title for his own family, and he had an instant-classic match in which his chest and shoulder were the color of grapes because of a torn pec that has since sidelined him.

But pro wrestling is and always will be about timing. And Rhodes just coming back after a documentary-styled buildup to win the Rumble and predictably take down Reigns just isn't it—at this moment in time.

Sure, WWE could always build it up. Rhodes wins and then there is time to weave a somewhat-interesting story as he challenges Reigns and all that comes with it.

But that route would leave a sour taste in the mouth of most onlookers. It would feel a little inauthentic compared to the plight of Zayn. And feel is arguably the second-most important thing in pro wrestling behind timing.

Longtime fans know what a Reigns-Rhodes build and story looks like. It's boring, if not a little standard-fare WWE. Not bad, but not really all that different from, say, when the company had old-school creative direction.

A Zayn build? Imagine how fun a shock Rumble win would be, only to watch Reigns and Paul Heyman try to bully him into challenging someone else, only for him to throw down the challenge with a groundswell of support. He's already approaching babyface levels we haven't seen in a long, long time—imagine the moment he finally makes it official for Mania as it likely rips the Bloodline apart.

Plus, there's nothing wrong with having Rhodes get eliminated in the Rumble and then feuding with whoever did it. It would be a massive in-the-moment swerve and lay the groundwork for a Mania feud with Seth Rollins or someone on that level.

There's no point in rushing Rhodes' ascension and risking it falling flat on its face. A slow burn can work, too, as it's not like the fanfare for Rhodes will just go away in six months or a year's time. WWE can actually benefit greatly from thinking about the long-term here.

Go ahead and think about next year's Mania. Cena, Rock, Brock and Austin are another year older and possibly unavailable. By that point, Reigns might be part-time and/or unavailable, too. That is a perfectly fine place to hold the anointing of Rhodes, and the long-term fans might even embrace it more with the understanding he stood aside while Zayn had his in 2023.

And this isn't going to be about draws, either. If The Rock isn't walking through that door to work the main event at Mania and lure in non-wrestling fans (a silly concept anyways), it's not going to go to Steve Austin. In terms of Rhodes vs. Zayn...it's a tossup as to who is the bigger non-wrestling draw. And WWE doesn't need that draw anyway—not when Brock Lesnar, Bad Bunny and Logan Paul are likely elsewhere on the card, to name a few.

Maybe a Zayn run with the top title(s?) isn't what WWE had envisioned when blueprinting everything. But his fending off the remnants of the Bloodline, maybe getting a Lesnar match, etc., sure sounds like a fun time now. He's more than earned it, and fans are overwhelmingly behind it.

Sunday isn't just about the Rumble or a typical pro wrestling decision. It could function as a sign of whether what fans have invested in for weeks and months gets a proper payoff. It might even serve as a signal to talent that, hey, make it work, get over and the sky is literally the limit.

This is more than just another WrestleMania main event, too. It's the proverbial, near-impossible-to-find-lightning in a bottle on a Daniel Bryan scale. It's a dirty gesture toward anyone who would dare suggest WWE can't or won't do long-term storytelling well, too.

The only right pick is Zayn, with someone as talented as Rhodes able to overcome a loss and weave his own tale into future years while the organic rise of an all-time pro wrestling tale gets its shine.