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The dynamics of SmackDown may change greatly after Cody Rhodes won the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40.
The American Nightmare has primarily been a member of RAW since returning to WWE in 2022. He would, however, appear on both shows in the build-up to certain premium live events. Rhodes would back up his allies during the build to WarGames last year. He also made the rounds on both shows during the build to WrestleMania 40 this year.
As the new Undisputed WWE Champion, The American Nightmare should permanently move to SmackDown during the annual Draft for three reasons.
#3. The Undisputed WWE Champion has primarily been on Friday Nights
When Roman Reigns returned to WWE following a hiatus in 2020, he made his home on Friday Night SmackDown. Through each ensuing draft, The Tribal Chief remained on the blue brand.
Even after Reigns unified the Universal and WWE Championships, he remained on SmackDown. For over 1,300 days, Reigns carried those championships as the top star of the blue brand.
By defeating The Head of the Table at WrestleMania 40, Rhodes joined the blue brand's roster by default. Even with the upcoming Draft, The American Nightmare should move to Friday night's show. It would give the show a new dynamic but with a different champion.
#2. He's already faced many of the stars on RAW
As a member of the red brand, Cody Rhodes has faced most of its roster in the past two years. He's battled The Judgment Day, Shinsuke Nakamura, Drew McIntyre, Brock Lesnar, and Seth Rollins.
One big performer he hasn't faced, however, is Gunther. The two have crossed paths in the last two Men's Royal Rumble Matches. One or both stars could switch shows next week.
With the 2024 WWE Draft on the horizon, a move to the blue brand could open up new feuds for The American Nightmare. Rhodes could battle Karrion Kross and The Final Testament in a battle of good vs. evil. He could also face Bobby Lashley, Santos Escobar, Grayson Waller, Austin Theory, and other big names on the blue brand.
#1. SmackDown is still the WWE show on a major network
While RAW has been around longer than SmackDown, the blue brand is the show on a major network, FOX. Making it to one of the four major networks in the USA was a big deal for WWE.
It's part of the reason why two of the company's top stars - Charlotte Flair and Roman Reigns - were heavily pushed and featured on Friday nights.
RAW will move to Netflix in 2025 while SmackDown will remain on television. If WWE wants to keep up with having its top star on network television, then Rhodes must be the face of the blue brand.
With the recent merger with UFC, having a presence on network television has become even more important for the promotion. Having the company's biggest star on national television each week must be paramount for WWE.
