The good and the bad of 200 days

Cody Rhodes established himself as a top WWE star after completing his story by defeating Roman Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40. Since then, “The American Nightmare” has held the title for 200 days in an impressive streak with the company’s top prize. From his ongoing rivalry with The Bloodline to his recent issues with former friend Kevin Owens, Cody’s reign has had its good and bad sides. Here are three pros and three cons of Cody Rhodes’ undisputed title reign so far.

After winning the WWE Undisputed Championship, Cody Rhodes stated that he wants to be a workhorse champion who wants to conquer every city and every show. Rhodes did just that, defending his title against a variety of challengers at house shows and major events. Whether on the microphone or inside the squared circle, Cody has established himself as the face of WWE and has worked hard to establish himself as the top babyface that all fans can count on wherever they go to see the company.

While his status as the undisputed WWE Champion should mean Cody is the top star on the SmackDown brand, The Bloodline saga remains the show’s most important storyline. Solo Sikoa’s mission to establish himself as “Chief of the Tribe” and attract new members received the most time and attention from the creative team. Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa received a significant boost, and the return Roman Reigns brought even more attention to their story.

Cody Rhodes not only performed in the ring and in front of the microphone, but he also filled WWE’s pockets where it mattered most. Rhodes headlined several of the company’s sold-out shows and sold a ton of merchandise. After becoming WWE’s top merchandise seller, Cody confirmed that he could still be a draw even after his pursuit of the top spot ended.

Even though Cody Rhodes landed a few punches during his title run, it feels like there wasn’t much storyline investment in his feuds leading up to his defense. While AJ Styles got another shot at gold after his performance at Backlash France and his fake retirement, Cody’s storylines received the most attention when he played against The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa. More recently, Kevin Owens going up against him has gotten some attention, but for the first time in his 200-day reign, it seems like Rhodes has given some creative attention to one of his storylines.

Cody Rhodes was part of one of the most memorable WrestleMania main events in history by winning the Undisputed WWE Championship, but he has continued to put on phenomenal matches ever since. From his classic fight against AJ Styles at Backlash France to his emotional battle with Kevin Owens at Bash in Berlin, Cody has shown timeouts in the ring throughout his reign. His stellar title defense was the hallmark of his excellent run as the company’s top champion.

At SummerSlam, Roman Reigns returned to help Cody Rhodes defeat Solo Sikoa to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship. Since then, The Bloodline saga has gained even more storyline attention and focus on SmackDown, causing some fans to feel that Rhodes has been left in the shadows.

Even though Cody had the top prize in WWE, he felt secondary to what Roman was doing with The Bloodline. Even when Rhodes teamed with Reigns at Bad Blood, it seemed like Cody was playing second fiddle to a true top star’s program. This made Cody’s reign similar to macho Randy Savage’s WWE title win in 1988, when Hulk Hogan was still the number one babyface in the promotion. WWE must do everything possible to keep Rhodes in the top spot despite Reigns being on the same brand.

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