Ranking Cody Rhodes and the WWE Men's Hierarchy After Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is undeniably the biggest star in WWE, but he is preparing to face his toughest challenge to date in the form of Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39.

But does the men's Royal Rumble match winner really top the hierarchy of WWE Superstars entering The Showcase of the Immortals or is he merely the flavor of the month?

Ahead of what Rhodes, his family and fans hope is a monumental night for the second-generation star, find out the answer to that question and where your favorite men's competitors land with this look at the pecking order in WWE.

9. Everyone Else

"Everyone else" may seem like a disrespectful designation for the men who find themselves in this area of the countdown but, with a roster as expansive as WWE's, it is anything but.

Ricochet and Braun Strowman enjoy regular exposure on SmackDown, while The Street Profits and Alpha Academy are regularly featured on Raw.

Imperium's Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser have headlined episodes of the blue brand, and Johnny Gargano, The Miz, Dexter Lumis and Baron Corbin have all carved out a role for themselves on Monday nights.

There are still competitors with relatively high profiles to be found in this category.

Throw in someone like Dolph Ziggler or Mustafa Ali, and you have a portion of the roster that is, arguably, the strongest in the company. They just lack the overall exposure at this point in time to justify a higher ranking.

8. Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Gunther and Austin Theory

Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Gunther and Austin Theory all have the unwavering trust of WWE head of creative Triple H.

They can float in and out of the main event picture, sometimes challenging for the top prize before returning to the midcard, where they can utilize their status to help elevate others.

McIntyre and Sheamus, in particular, have been used effectively in that manner.

They can believably mix it up with The Bloodline, even sparring with top dog Reigns, and then team up to battle The Viking Raiders in a hard-hitting feud that serves to better Ivar and Erik's credibility in the eyes of the audience.

Gunther is fresh off a Royal Rumble performance that instantly elevated him into the category of a potential main event star, while Theory has been a cornerstone of the Raw brand for the last year.

They will see their fair share of main-eventing as top contenders or champions on their respective brands.

7. The Judgment Day

Make no mistake about it: The Judgement Day were dead in the water under Vince McMahon.

Finn Bálor and Damian Priest, with Rhea Ripley by their side, were midcard heels with one purpose: Take the beatdown from the more prominent babyface and fall to the floor before doing it all over again the following week.

Under Triple H, though, they have become a top-tier faction in WWE and one of the more consistently featured acts on Raw.

Much of that can probably be attributed to Bálor's presence as he has long been one of Triple H's favorites dating back to his days as the centerpiece of NXT.

Throw in a Dominik Mysterio character who has finally gathered steam after spending hard time in prison and is clearly one of the most over heels in the entire company, and you have a group of competitors that is finally realizing some of its potential.

Add in the booking suggestion that Bálor is poised to battle Edge in what would appear to be a high-profile gimmick bout at WrestleMania, and there is even more reason to buy into The Judgment Day's position on the list.

If that doesn't persuade you, the fact that Triple H has no problem booking them all over Raw should.

6. Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley

Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley have been the cornerstones of Raw for well over a year; the two most trusted and believable Superstars on the red brand.

They have main event experience, have developed an unbreakable bond with the fans and can freely move in and out of the main event scene as needed.

That they have regularly been involved in higher-profile stories and feuds, sometimes with one another, elevates them beyond others.

Lashley was WWE champion only a year ago, and Rollins is regularly involved in any discussion for Superstars who can dethrone Roman Reigns.

Management routinely builds episodes of Raw around what they are doing, and their faces adorn promotional material for live events. If any two competitors have been adversely affected by the presence of just one world title, it is Rollins and Lashley.

Still, fans believe them as top-tier talent. That legitimacy is reflected in audiences across the globe and helps elevate them beyond names in comparable positions.

5. Edge

Edge is trusted by WWE management to deliver a gutsy story that the audience can embrace leading into a high-profile match.

He has consistently delivered just that, be it in an intense rivalry with Seth Rollins, a personal program with Randy Orton or a championship feud with Roman Reigns.

What separates The Rated-R Superstar from others here is the fact that he is always involved in something fairly significant, such as his ongoing rivalry with The Judgment Day.

That feud is already heading for a huge mixed tag team match at Elimination Chamber pitting him and wife Beth Phoenix against Bálor and Ripley, while a WrestleMania 39 showdown with the Irishman is not out of the question.

Always presented like a major star, Edge is a bona fide main eventer whose star power helps elevate whoever he works with.

4. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

Six months ago, the idea that Sami Zayn would rank this high on a list of this kind would have been laughable. A year ago, he was gearing up for a gimmicky WrestleMania 38 match with Jackass star Johnny Knoxville and became the punchline of a grand joke.

He was a utility player at best and an afterthought at worst.

Then came The Bloodline program that was better than it had any right to be, and Zayn's position in WWE changed, possibly forever.

The Canadian is the most over babyface in the company at this point and gearing up for a career-defining Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against Reigns at Elimination Chamber in his hometown of Montreal.

A year ago, Owens emerged from the jumbled midcard to headline WrestleMania Night 1 with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in what amounted to a childhood dream for The Prizefighter.

Since then, KO has floated in and out of the main event scene, but a feud with Reigns and The Bloodline —along with his role in Zayn's momentous run —have ensured he sticks around the top of the card for the foreseeable future.

Triple H has long valued both men from their time in NXT, and it's no surprise they are featured heavily across WWE television. What is, though, is just how passionately behind them the fans are.

3. The Bloodline

By proximity to Reigns alone, The Bloodline would rank favorably in the hierarchy of male Superstars in WWE. Don't get things confused, though: Nothing about The Usos or Solo Sikoa screams of nepotism.

Jimmy, Jey and their younger brother have showed up and showed out over the last year. The Usos have also enhanced their legacy as the greatest tag team of their generation by way of working with headliners and up-and-coming tandems alike.

Their work is always good, with Jey's character stuff setting him apart from his siblings.

What The Bloodline have accomplished while backing up The Tribal Chief is nothing short of amazing, if only because they have not allowed themselves to become undefined lackeys. They are key pieces of the story and have established their own personalities.

They explode off the screen, never allowing an opportunity for them to fade into the background.

Perhaps most important is the role they play in furthering Reigns' stories. The Head of the Table does not regularly appear on television, leaving it to The Bloodline to work with his rivals on SmackDown and Raw.

As a result, they have established themselves as main event stars themselves, always ready to mix it up with any main event competitor from either brand.

The Usos and Sikoa are this generation's answer to Tully Blanchard and the Andersons of The Four Horsemen, or Randy Orton, Ric Flair and Batista of Evolution. They are every bit as important as the central figure and have earned their way to our No. 3 spot.

2. Brock Lesnar

Triple H and Vince McMahon may have differing creative philosophies, but there is one thing they have in common: The understanding that Brock Lesnar is a megastar.

Maybe the last of his kind in that regard.

As a result, The Beast Incarnate is always going to be brought back into the WWE fold for something significant and as long as he is willing.

Whether that is challenging Reigns in the main event of a pay-per-view or feuding with Lashley in a high-profile program between former WWE champions, Lesnar will be a focal point of the creative efforts.

That the powerful country boy has finally been allowed to display his personality rather than being an emotionless hulk has only served to extend his run and freshen him up.

Lesnar is as over now as he has ever been, and much of that can be attributed to letting the audience know there is a human behind the monster.

That he will always been involved in something important, against a top guy regardless of his status as a part-time performer, certainly helps with that.

1. Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes is fixing to be the biggest Superstar in WWE, the man who dethrones Reigns and ends his two-year run as undisputed WWE universal champion.

His is a story that deserves that a happy ending, and the fans have bought into it and greet the second-generation star with the biggest reactions of any show.

There is some concern about Zayn running neck-and-neck with The American Nightmare in terms of popularity at the moment, but Rhodes has the ability to get fans to feel something. He can suck them into his story and get them to invest emotionally, something that is so rare in today's wrestling landscape.

He is a throwback and, as strange as it may seem given the ever-evolving nature of the industry, it is that devotion to the old school that sets him apart from his peers.

Exiled from the company he helped create in All Elite Wrestling, somewhat by his own hand, Rhodes is poised to become the industry's most popular babyface and the central figure around whom Triple H and his creative team will build for the future.

Not bad for a guy who was once handed the Stardust gimmick and left to wallow in what was then a deep, dark abyss known as the WWE midcard.