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The phrase "finish the story" has been referenced in WWE dozens of times since Cody Rhodes returned to the company in April 2022. The American Nightmare made it clear upon re-signing that he had one mission in mind: win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
In 1977, Rhodes' father Dusty unsuccessfully challenged Billy Graham for WWE's most prestigious title (then known as the WWWF Championship). After a six-year absence, the RAW star is more determined than ever to become the first member of his family to capture WWE's top prize.
Rhodes' chase for Roman Reigns' gold is destined to conclude one day. In the meantime, plenty of other wrestlers have scores of their own to settle.
With that in mind, let's count down five other stories WWE needs to finish.
#5. Sheamus needs to finish his IC title story
Male wrestlers must capture several titles to be considered a Grand Slam winner, including either the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship or World Heavyweight Championship. They also have to hold the Intercontinental, United States, and Tag Team Championships to join the elite group.
Sheamus is already a three-time WWE Champion, one-time World Heavyweight Champion, three-time United States Champion, and five-time Tag Team Champion. However, he has never won the Intercontinental Championship.
The Celtic Warrior produced two of his best career performances in Intercontinental Championship losses at Clash at the Castle and WrestleMania 39. In years to come, he will surely return to the IC title picture and finally enter the Grand Slam club.
#4. Drew McIntyre needs to finish his WWE world title story
The biggest moment of Drew McIntyre's career was supposed to take place in front of 60,000+ fans at a packed Raymond James Stadium. Instead, due to the pandemic, his WrestleMania 36 WWE Championship triumph over Brock Lesnar occurred at an empty Performance Center.
McIntyre held the WWE Championship for a combined 300 days over the course of his two reigns. Unfortunately, his second tenure as champion ended shortly before fans returned, meaning he never stood in front of a full crowd with the gold.
Regardless of which title he targets, the Scot is destined to finally get his big moment as a world champion again one day.
#3. The Miz needs to finish his IC title story
As Sheamus bids to become a one-time Intercontinental Champion, The Miz is looking to enter his name into the record books in a different way. The A-Lister has held the secondary title eight times, meaning he is just one win away from matching Chris Jericho's record of nine.
At the time of writing, The Miz is set to challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at Survivor Series 2023. While his chances of dethroning the Austrian appear to be slim, it would be foolish to rule out another Miz IC title run one day.
Between 2016 and 2018, the one-time WrestleMania main-eventer made the title more relevant than it had been in years. His SmackDown rivalry with Dolph Ziggler remains one of the best Intercontinental Championship storylines of the last decade.
#2. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins need to finish their story
The 2022 Royal Rumble began with Roman Reigns retaining his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Seth Rollins in controversial circumstances.
The Tribal Chief refused to release a submission hold even though his opponent grabbed hold of the ropes. As a result, the referee had no choice but to award a disqualification win to Rollins. Titles cannot change hands via disqualification, meaning Reigns lost but remained champion.
Almost two years on, it could be argued that nobody has given the Bloodline leader a bigger test during his title reign than Rollins. The former Shield members' paths are bound to cross again further down the line.
#1. Charlotte Flair needs to finish her world title story
A 14-time world champion, Charlotte Flair is already the most decorated female star in history. The male world title record is held by John Cena and Ric Flair (both 16), with Randy Orton and Triple H (14) in joint-third.
Given Cena's part-time status and Orton's injury absence, Charlotte Flair has emerged as a realistic contender to become the first 17-time world champion.
In August 2023, The Queen told New York Live she is "definitely chasing 17." She plans to become the outright world title record holder to show that women can thrive in male-dominated industries.
Can you think of any other stories that need to be finished? Let us know in the comments section below.
