Cody has finally finished the story. After a year long wait following the disappointing lost that the second-generation star suffered at the hands of Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, Cody beat him in the main event for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship. Though that chapter is over, Cody’s story is just beginning. WWE has an extremely stacked roster that features multiple former world champions and exciting up-and-coming NXT stars.
There’s no telling if Cody will keep the belt until Summerslam. Though it would be surprising if he dropped it so quickly giving how long they spent on him chasing after the belt. There’s a strong guarantee that “The American Nightmare” will headline this year’s event with the belt, but the real question is: Who will he defend the WWE Undisputed Universal title against? Here are five perfect challengers for the prestigious belt.
The Rock
Let’s get the most obvious out of the way. Say what you will about the confusing story of Cody giving The Rock is opportunity to fight Reigns at WrestleMania, but Triple H and The Rock masterfully pivoted into something even better. The Rock was brilliant in his return to the company, and he showcased why he’s considered one of the best wrestlers on the planet.
The company has done an excellent job of building heat between these two, with that brutal and bloody beatdown being the cherry on top. The Rock looked solid in his return to the ring, and Cody should be able to carry him to a good match. It’s likely that The Rock’s final match will be against Roman Reigns. Since that screams WrestleMania 41, then it would be best to get this match done before then. The company has already planted enough seeds for fans to watch to see Cody get his revenge, though the build to this match should be incredible once we get to it.
Randy Orton
The former Legacy members have a rich history. Orton doesn’t have much direction these days, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he turned heel by the time Summerslam came around. However, the former World Champion doesn’t have to turn heel to build to this match. Cody and Randy are two different types of babyfaces; the former is your classic white meat babyface whereas Randy is afraid to get his hands dirty when he needs to do.
The money is playing off the history of their relationship and how it impacts the WWE Undisputed Universal title. These two will have a match against one another. And Orton is always money when he’s a heel, but the babyface dynamic could’ve be an interesting avenue that brings out some new dimension in both characters. Either way, the match should be electric and worthy of a Summerslam main event.
Gunther
Gunther’s time as IC champion is over. There’s nothing tell what’s next for Gunther, but it would be surprising if he isn’t a main player in the main event scene going forward. He massively elevated the Intercontinental title and him winning one of the world titles this year is a strong possibility. These two had a nice little rivalry go in the Royal Rumble match, which highlighted that they have chemistry inside of the ring.
The match could be a simple David vs. Goliath story. If WWE was wise then they wouldn’t have Gunther lose again. Build him back up in the lead into Summerslam. A fun option could also be him winning the money in the bank ladder match. Either way, Gunther would be a fun opponent for Cody to fight on his journey as WWE Undisputed Universal Champion.
Bron Breakker
Terrible name aside, Triple H should give one of the promising up-and-comers a shot at the title on the big stage. For a guy who has been in the wrestling business for less than five years, Bron Breakker has nicely picked up the business in a short time span. Breakker has shown that he can carry himself well as both a face or heel, and though it would be too soon to give him the title right now, it wouldn’t hurt putting him in the deep water and see how he swims. I think Breakker is good enough to thrust into the main event as he has the in-ring credibility and promo skills to step up to the plate.
Solo Sikoa
Surely, they’re going to do something with that huge victory over John Cena, right? With Sikoa seemingly becoming the defacto leader while Roman Reigns and The Rock being away, this would also be a nice opportunity to elevate him up the card as well. With Sikoa, it would be more believable that Cody could drop the belt to the Bloodline member. Triple H can even use Cody beating as more fuel to drive the narrative between Cody and Sikoa. Personally, I don’t think Cody should drop the belt until at least November, but it creative builds so much momentum for Sikoa (or anyone else on the list) then I don’t see why he can’t become the new WWE Undisputed Universal Champion.
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