Ranking the 6 WWE Stars Most Likely To Dethrone Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes has been all but unstoppable as undisputed WWE champion since seizing the title from Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. He held it for a year before losing it to John Cena at WrestleMania 41, only to regain the gold mere months later at SummerSlam.
The American Nightmare has shown moments of weakness in that time, but by and large, he has been super protected and barely been booked to eat defeat or look vulnerable.
As the appointed face of the franchise, Rhodes represents WWE exceptionally well, but the key in ensuring he maintains his status as a fan favorite is not overexposing him or pushing him too aggressively. That includes having him lose the belt every so often to keep things fresh with his character.
His second stint with the prestigious prize is approaching the five-month mark, and fans are clamoring for change already. It's clear he's headed for yet another rematch with Drew McIntyre in the not-too-distant future, but there's no guarantee that will be where his reign ends.
For as slim as SmackDown's main event scene seemingly is these days, there are no shortage of options—both on the blue brand and in WWE as a whole—to take the title next, whether it be imminently, at WrestleMania 42 or even later down the line.
These are the six Superstars with the best odds of eventually dethroning Rhodes, ranked from least to most likely.
6. Oba Femi
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Although Oba Femi conquering Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship currently sounds like a far-fetched possibility, it might be more plausible than some may think coming off their clash at Saturday Night's Main Event on Dec. 13.
The American Nightmare collided with the NXT champion in non-title action at the event. For as brief as the bout was, though, Femi had a stellar showing against Rhodes and proved himself as a future world champ.
Drew McIntyre caused it to be ruled a no-contest, effectively protecting both Rhodes and Femi in defeat and preventing either from eating an unnecessary loss. Femi should exact revenge when it's his time to be called up to the main roster, which should be sooner rather than later.
After dealing with McIntyre, The Ruler can set his sights on Rhodes and the Undisputed WWE Championship. He has all the tools to be a big star, and there's no harm in elevating him to the top of the card shortly following his debut, a la Brock Lesnar in 2002.
If WWE truly wants to make a main eventer out of Femi from the get-go, he should challenge for the title sometime in 2026 and beat Rhodes, provided he's still in possession of the belt by then.
5. Jacob Fatu
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Jacob Fatu has been a forgotten force on SmackDown due to his absence, but once he's ready to resurface, he won't waste time in making his presence felt at an elite level once again.
Before he was mysteriously attacked backstage on the Oct. 17 edition of SmackDown, Fatu was inching closer to Undisputed WWE Championship contention. He had been spinning his wheels following the loss of his United States Championship to Solo Sikoa over the summer but was slowly settling into a storyline with Drew McIntyre.
Per PWInsider, the third-generation star was written off the show to undergo a dental procedure with no set timetable for a return, so his scheduled No. 1 Contender's match with McIntyre never came to pass.
The Scottish Warrior was quick to deny being responsible for sidelining Fatu in storyline, so there's still a small chance of it being Cody Rhodes, cementing his long-awaited heel turn in the process. Even if not, Fatu can still target The American Nightmare in the new year and be built up as the one to unseat him.
Similar to Oba Femi, Fatu should be a significant star for WWE for years to come, and with new blood being desperately needed in SmackDown's top title picture at the moment, there's no reason to hold off any longer on him holding world title gold.
4. Roman Reigns
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Roman Reigns was a staple of WWE's main event scene during his historic 1,316-day run as undisputed WWE universal champion.
He's kept himself busy outside of the top title picture since then in feuds with The MFTs and The Vision, but it was always more a matter of when and not if he'd end up competing for the championship again.
The closing moments of Survivor Series hinted heavily at Reigns and Rhodes being on a collision course toward WrestleMania 42. There have been conflicting reports on whether WWE is actively planning on having them face off at the event or another time, but fans can't count out the possibility of it being in the cards for The Show of Shows next April.
If so, there's an even greater likelihood Reigns takes the title in retaliation for losing the belt two years prior. They're tied with one win apiece on The Grandest Stage of Them All, and Reigns winning the rubber match could be the catalyst for a Rhodes heel turn.
Mind you, none of this is remotely interesting seeing as how it was less than two years ago that Rhodes was involved with Reigns and the rest of The Bloodline and it's too early for them to be running it back. However, WWE could be convinced that The Tribal Chief is the rightful successor to The American Nightmare.
If anything, Reigns should win the World Heavyweight Championship and lose it to Bron Breakker shortly thereafter, but Rhodes vs. Reigns III remains an option.
3. CM Punk
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Despite being the world heavyweight champion over on Raw right now, CM Punk could not only wind up challenging for Rhodes' Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42 but also winning it.
WWE has avoided booking Punk vs. Rhodes in the two years The Best in the World has been back with WWE, though they have crossed paths on countless occasions as both partners and opponents in various settings. It's a huge money match worthy of the WrestleMania stage.
Punk is set to defend his title against Bron Breakker on the first Raw of 2026, and it would make the most sense for him to lose it. From there, he can come out on top in either the men's Royal Rumble or men's Elimination Chamber match to punch his ticket to 'Mania to face Rhodes.
This is a much more appealing attraction for The Show of Shows than Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns again, regardless of whether either goes full-fledged heel beforehand. In fact, turning villain at the event itself could be how Punk steals the prize.
Transitioning the title to Punk could give the blue brand a boost and kick off a more personal program between them for the spring season, potentially culminating in a heated rematch at SummerSlam. WWE would just need to avoid following the same formula it did with Rhodes' rivalry with John Cena earlier this year.
2. Drew McIntyre
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All of the aforementioned names would presumably knock off Rhodes for his coveted title at WrestleMania 42 or SummerSlam, but Drew McIntyre could be on the cusp of doing it before any of them.
The Scot first faced off with Rhodes at Wrestlepalooza in September but fell short. His attempts to cheat backfired for a second straight time at the Nov. 1 installment of Saturday Night's Main Event in underwhelming fashion.
Instead of having both men move on to something new, WWE opted to resume the rivalry. It's been confirmed they'll have one more match for the Undisputed WWE Championship in the next few weeks, complete with some sort of a stipulation, but the time and place has yet to be announced officially.
Another loss would earn McIntyre the reputation of a loser who can't win when it matters most. That said, WWE likely isn't concerned with how fans will perceive him once this feud is over as it's more so focused on keeping Rhodes busy until the Road to WrestleMania gets underway.
The Scottish Warrior may not necessarily walk into WrestleMania with the gold if he manages to dethrone Rhodes, but for the sake of the story, he would be the better fit for the belt at the onset of 2026.
1. Randy Orton
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For months now, Randy Orton has been conspicuous by his absence, leading fans to believe he'll have Rhodes in his sights when he strikes on SmackDown soon enough.
It's been another one of The American Nightmare's most anticipated rivalries for the last three-plus years, but unlike with CM Punk, Rhodes and Orton have met one-on-one relatively recently.
They waged war in the finals of the 2025 King of the Ring tournament, where Rhodes emerged victorious and went on to reclaim the Undisputed WWE Championship from John Cena at SummerSlam.
Orton has been teasing turning on his former protege since the summer of 2024, and Rhodes being the current champ on Friday nights gives The Viper all the more incentive to go rogue and betray him between now and WrestleMania 42.
Orton is a 14-time world champion and should be looking to add the 15th title to his long list of accolades in 2026. The fact that WWE hasn't run this feud yet lends credibility to the theory that it's being saved for WrestleMania season.
Rhodes might get the belt back from Orton almost immediately, much like he did with Cena, but it wouldn't take away from the excitement of these two finally feuding after so many years.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
