In short, Rhodes losing the Undisputed WWE Championship to either Rock or Reigns on the road to WrestleMania 41 would be unnecessary.
By and large, Rhodes has had a terrific title run. He’s stayed over with the audience and there’s much more for him to do in the role. He’d benefit from dropping the belt briefly, but Kevin Owens or Randy Orton would be better suited for that spot if it was going to happen.
Rock and Reigns are part-timers at this point and don’t need gold in their grasp to feel special. They have their own respective storylines that the audience can get invested in while Rhodes remains in the main event mix as champion.
Rock vs. Rhodes is inevitable, but Rhodes emerging victorious should be what sets up Rock and Reigns finally facing off. Rock can beat Reigns the first time around if the idea is to build a bigger feud between them beyond just a one-off.
A third round of Rhodes vs. Reigns would be appealing at some point, whether it’s for the WWE title or not, but the company can hold off on that until much later down the line when both men are free of any feuds.
The paths of Rhodes, Reigns and Rock can and should continue to cross in the coming months, but there is no value in booking a title win for either Reigns or Rock before or at ‘Mania simply for the sake of doing so.
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.
