Cody Rhodes' Redemption, Yay or Nay on WWE Brand-Exclusive PPVs, More Quick Takes

Night 1 of the 2023 WWE draft left fans with more questions than answers, with Cody Rhodes' uncertain future being among the top takeaways.

The first round saw SmackDown secure Roman Reigns, while Rhodes remained on Raw and away from the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. That would seem to suggest his story will go unfinished, but there is the possibility WWE has merely made his road to redemption more interesting.

Another element of this renewed brand split to keep an eye on is the rumored return of brand-exclusive pay-per-views, formerly a Raw and SmackDown trait from 2002 to 2007 and again from 2016 to 2018. If they do make a comeback, would that be a positive or negative development for WWE?

On the All Elite Wrestling front, Wardlow is (again) the new TNT champion, but his stock has never felt lower. Roderick Strong has also arrived and could have a brighter future ahead provided he and Adam Cole stay on the same page.

This installment of Quick Takes will delve deep into all of these hot topics and much more.

All Rhodes Can Still Lead Cody Back to Roman Reigns Despite Brand Split

It didn't take long for Cody Rhodes to find himself separated from Roman Reigns in the 2023 draft, with the two being picked by opposite brands right off the bat.

If WWE intends to take the Brand Split seriously this time, that could mean Rhodes will have to settle for fighting for the newly announced World Heavyweight Championship.

The problem is that his story lies with the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, the prestigious prize he fell short of capturing in the main event of WrestleMania 39. His riveting rivalry with Reigns has only just begun, and it would be sorely disappointing if it ended this way.

Rhodes winning the world heavyweight belt would simply solidify it as a consolation prize. His first title win will not mean as much unless it comes at the expense of the long-undefeated Tribal Chief, who has reigned as champion for nearly 1,000 days.

One solution would see Rhodes winning the men's Money in the Bank briefcase and choosing to announce his cash-in ahead of time for SummerSlam. By beating Reigns there, he would then join SmackDown full-time, explaining why the Raw roster is currently babyface-heavy.

Another option would be for him to win his second straight men's Royal Rumble match and again challenge Reigns at WrestleMania 40. Anything can happen in a year that could lead to WWE changing course, but these are realistic possibilities that should be considered.

WWE could have easily avoided this messy situation by having Rhodes unseat Reigns at WrestleMania 39, but what's done is done and it's imperative it sticks the landing as best it can.

Can Wardlow Regain Lost Momentum in Third Reign as AEW TNT Champion?

At this time one year ago, AEW had their next big babyface in Wardlow. The buildup to his bout with MJF at Double or Nothing was brilliant, and his popularity peaked over the now-AEW world champion at the event.

His fall from grace from a booking standpoint has been well-documented, though. And despite recently regaining the AEW TNT Championship, it feels less and less likely that AEW can recapture his lost momentum with each week that passes.

Wardlow has all the makings of a star, and that isn't to say he isn't over with the audience at the moment. He still receives solid crowd reactions but isn't remotely interesting as he once was a result of his various start-and-stop pushes.

The TNT title has been so devalued that he is being done no favors by holding it, though it isn't impossible for his third reign to be redeemed. AEW has the right idea by putting him in a program with Christian Cage and Luchasaurus, but the pairing with Arn Anderson feels forced and almost like an excuse to get the WWE Hall of Famer back in a regular role on Dynamite.

Consistency will be paramount with Wardlow, along with credible competition. He's beyond destroying nameless enhancement wrestlers and security guards; he needs actual development in order to stand out again.

With the proper push, The Wardaddy can reach those heights again.

Rebranding of Raw and SmackDown Women's Championships Is Long Overdue

The 2023 WWE draft has suffered from the same issue the last two installments of the draft did: Brand-centric championships switching shows.

It was a silly idea to begin with for WWE to make the women's and tag team titles specific to one show. The Universal Championship being a red belt (and eventually blue) is another example of this.

Therefore, a rebranding of the belts is long overdue.

Unless new names and championship designs have already been conceived, Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley will be forced to swap belts similar to how Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair did in 2021 and The Street Profits and The New Day did before them in 2020.

Reigns are interrupted, and that's an issue for someone such as Belair who has held the Raw Women's Championship for over a year. To avoid cutting her run short, WWE should have had the forethought to make her ineligible or drop it to a now-Raw Superstar ahead of time.

Ditching the Raw and SmackDown labels for belts would alleviate a lot of issues during draft season in addition to making them feel less generic.

Adam Cole Alliance Will Be Key to Roderick Strong's Success in AEW

AEW continues to add more and more talent to its bloated roster without trimming any of the fat.

There can be no argument that its roster is loaded, but it also can't be argued that there currently isn't enough television time to go around for everyone.

That said, Roderick Strong is, for the lack of a better term, a strong pickup for AEW, and unlike others who have been signed in recent years only to quickly fall by the wayside, it's a lot less likely he'll get lost in the shuffle.

His alliance with Adam Cole will ultimately prove to be the key to his success, just as it was in WWE NXT.

In the ring, Strong is one of the best in the world, but promos have never been his forte. It's why he excelled far more as a member of Undisputed Era than he did as the leader of Diamond Mine.

His chemistry with Cole make them a terrific team, and once Kyle O'Reilly is eventually cleared to compete, he can reunite with them as well. Strong pulling double duty in Ring of Honor wouldn't be the worst use of him, either.

Strong is a fantastic fit in AEW, and his preexisting connection with Cole will ensure he remains in the mix at all times.

Weighing the Pros and Cons of WWE Brand-Exclusive PPVs

Of the many times WWE has attempted to reignite brand warfare with Raw vs. SmackDown, the best attempts came in 2002 and 2016 when the monthly pay-per-views were separated between the two shows.

It lead to there being more events annually than ever before, but the risky experiment did pay off early on in both cases. SmackDown in particular benefited big time from having a spotlight of its own and being able to showcase stars who wouldn't ordinarily crack the card.

The brand-exclusive events eventually ended, and so to bring them back for a third time wouldn't be advisable.

Above all else, the roster depth would need to be significantly stronger. Although WWE has a ton of talent across all of its brands, there aren't enough established names to make split premium live events work as well as they should.

A number of names would be afforded opportunities, and perhaps this is how WWE goes about creating headliners, but it's unclear whether the brand split will even be enforced and that should be the bigger priority at this point.

The "less is more" approach WWE has taken to its PPV schedule since Triple H took over has been refreshing and should continue in that format.