Jun 17, 2026 · 8 min · 6 segments
WATCH THE VIDEO: https://youtu.be/SrXDjISnWS8?si=L-eqaRrtnYzhW8ed Cody Rhodes is still one of WWE’s biggest stars, but there is a growing problem that the company can no longer ignore.Since finishing…
keeps telling maybe too much of the same story
over and over seems to follow somewhat of the same formula.
The heel targets Cody, the villain gains momentum by attacking him or betraying him, Cody cuts emotional promos about his perseverance in family and overcoming adversity, something he's still very good at, and the heel eventually gets outsmarted and loses a big, very competitive match.
Cody retains or wins in the end, and the cycle starts all over again with a new opponent.
At first, the formula worked very very brilliantly.
He had some incredible bangers, especially when you look at some of those special ones he did with AJ Styles.
Fans were emotionally invested in Cody's journey because there was a clear destination.
The struggle against Roman Reigns and the Bloodline felt meaningful because Cody was chasing something that had eluded him for years.
Once he finally reached the top, however, WWE didn't push the character into a single new shade.
Instead of creating a new dimension for Cody, they... creatively simply maybe went back to the same underdog narrative, which got harder and harder to do
when
he's technically not the underdog, he's the top dog, he's the champion, but he's an underdog champion.
It's hard to keep that momentum going.
Cody overcomes the odds narrative.
While protecting a top star is important, they certainly do that with Roman Reigns, constantly sacrificing opponents to maintain Cody's heroic image can make the entire roster maybe feel secondary.
But also...
Maybe that's the point.
For those that still ride hard with Cody Rhodes, and there are a lot of them, there is a certainty to what he brings.
But for his detractors, that repetition also can hurt Cody's character development.
Not a bad thing.
He's an inspirational hero still delivering emotional speeches and fighting for the same credible values.
While consistency can be a strength, wrestling characters need to evolve over time.
Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Randy Orton, even John Cena eventually experimented with different layers to their character.
keeps telling maybe too much of the same story
over and over seems to follow somewhat of the same formula.
The heel targets Cody, the villain gains momentum by attacking him or betraying him, Cody cuts emotional promos about his perseverance in family and overcoming adversity, something he's still very good at, and the heel eventually gets outsmarted and loses a big, very competitive match.
Cody retains or wins in the end, and the cycle starts all over again with a new opponent.
At first, the formula worked very very brilliantly.
He had some incredible bangers, especially when you look at some of those special ones he did with AJ Styles.
Fans were emotionally invested in Cody's journey because there was a clear destination.
The struggle against Roman Reigns and the Bloodline felt meaningful because Cody was chasing something that had eluded him for years.
Once he finally reached the top, however, WWE didn't push the character into a single new shade.
Instead of creating a new dimension for Cody, they... creatively simply maybe went back to the same underdog narrative, which got harder and harder to do
when
he's technically not the underdog, he's the top dog, he's the champion, but he's an underdog champion.
It's hard to keep that momentum going.
Cody overcomes the odds narrative.
While protecting a top star is important, they certainly do that with Roman Reigns, constantly sacrificing opponents to maintain Cody's heroic image can make the entire roster maybe feel secondary.
But also...
Maybe that's the point.
For those that still ride hard with Cody Rhodes, and there are a lot of them, there is a certainty to what he brings.
But for his detractors, that repetition also can hurt Cody's character development.
Not a bad thing.
He's an inspirational hero still delivering emotional speeches and fighting for the same credible values.
While consistency can be a strength, wrestling characters need to evolve over time.
Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Randy Orton, even John Cena eventually experimented with different layers to their character.
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