WWE: 5 Rivalries That Could Lead Cody Rhodes to the World Title

It wasn’t long ago that Cody Rhodes captured his first singles title in the WWE when he defeated Ezekiel Jackson to win the Intercontinental Championship.

Yet all the chatter about Rhodes isn’t about how great of an accomplishment his victory was. It’s about whether or not he actually needed it.

Rhodes is one of those rare wrestlers who many fans saw as someone who could jump straight to the main event scene. He has all the tools—the look, the charisma and the in-ring skills—to go far in the business, and as a result, his Intercontinental title win is actually being viewed by some as a bump in the road for Rhodes.

Yep, holding a belt is actually holding Rhodes back.

But don’t fret, my friends. We’ve seen this philosophy numerous times before, where a top mid-carder wins a secondary title, drops it and then moves to the World title scene.

I think that’s exactly what will happen with Rhodes, and in fact, here are five post-Intercontinental title rivalries that could lead Rhodes to the promised land (listed in order from least likeliest to likeliest, in my opinion).

5. CM Punk

There is no hotter act in pro wrestling than CM Punk, who has provided a spark to the business that we haven’t seen since the days of The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

Anyone you put in a feud with Punk right now is going to benefit in some way, shape or form, unless the creative team just completely drops the ball with the booking. So, given that Punk has feuded with or at least wrestled a lot of Raw’s top stars—Triple H, John Cena, Alberto Del Rio, etc.—the options for his next feud are somewhat limited.

That’s where the “Raw Supershow” comes in.

With Smackdown stars appearing on Raw every week for the foreseeable future, you can put a Raw star into a rivalry with a Smackdown star without having to explain it—not that the WWE would anyway.

Imagine putting Raw’s best talker (Punk) against one of Smackdown’s best promo guys (Cody Rhodes) and letting them battle it out on Raw and Smackdown every week.

Punk would undoubtedly elevate Rhodes both in the ring and on the mic, and in all likelihood, it would be just a matter of time before Rhodes was being taken seriously as a World title contender.

4. Kane

Kane is currently out with a “leg injury” that is expected to keep him on the sidelines for another month or so, but when he does come back, he’s likely headed for a feud with the man who injured him, Mark Henry.

Gosh, I hope not, especially if it’s for the World Heavyweight Championship.

What I’d rather see Kane do when he returns is feud with Cody Rhodes, so he can do what he’s supposed to be doing at this point in his career: Putting others over.

While I may not see Kane as a main event worthy talent anymore, the WWE does, and the creative team likes to book him as an unstoppable monster. Thus, it’s made out to look like a big deal if anyone gets the upper hand on him during a feud.

I could see Rhodes vs. Kane taking place, with Rhodes criticizing Kane for being so hideous, trying to make him wear a paper bag and possibly beating him in a Mask vs. Mask match (where Kane puts his on if he loses, and Rhodes takes his off if he loses).

It would make Rhodes seem like a huge threat on Smackdown if he was able to both beat Kane and embarrass him like that in the process.

3. The Undertaker

Mark Henry is running through the Smackdown roster these days, and the widespread expectation is that The Undertaker will be the one who returns and stops him.

I don’t think so.

Instead, I think we’ll see a feud that we’ve never seen before, a feud that would be great for the WWE: Cody Rhodes vs. The Undertaker.

We’ve debated how having someone end Taker’s undefeated streak at Wrestlemania would put that wrestler over in a huge way, but that’s not happening and isn’t even necessary. Anyone who’s simply able to hold his own in the ring with Undertaker and give him a highly competitive match would come off looking really good.

Rhodes could definitely be that guy.

Let’s say you have Rhodes lose the Intercontinental title to Ted DiBiase sometime next month, then build his momentum back up through Survivor Series and have him feud with a returning Undertaker after the pay-per-view.

After that, Rhodes would almost assuredly be viewed as one of Smackdown’s top World title contenders.

2. Sheamus

If you would have asked me back in 2009 if Sheamus would ever be a baby face, my answer would have been a big “NO!”

Boy, was I wrong.

With Smackdown in desperate need of a No. 2 baby face earlier this summer, the decision was made to turn Sheamus and put him in that spot. It’s paid off in a big way, with the Celtic Warrior catching on quickly and really excelling in his role as an honorable fan favorite.

Since that very well done face turn, Sheamus has already feuded with Mark Henry and is currently feuding with Christian. Thus, the next available heel option on Smackdown is Cody Rhodes.

Assuming Sheamus isn’t Henry’s next challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship (which he might be), then there’s a very realistic possibility that he goes after an Intercontinental title-less Rhodes at some point down the road.

Getting a win or two over a former WWE Champion like Sheamus would be great for Rhodes and his World title aspirations. 

1. Randy Orton

This one is a no-brainer because it’s kinda sorta already happening.

Former Legacy comrades Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes have now faced each other one-on-one three times in the past two weeks, with Rhodes even getting a victory over Orton on Monday Night Raw.

Say what you want about how Rhodes won that match, but the bottom line is that he won it and putting him over Orton on the WWE’s flagship show is a massive vote of confidence from the creative team.

Given that Orton is also feuding with Mark Henry, his rivalry with Rhodes isn’t a full-fledged one. But it damn sure looks like one.

There’s been great intensity from both Rhodes and Orton, and it’s clear that this “mini-feud” between the two is probably a precursor to a main event level one down the road.

Bank on it.