Former WWE champion needs to call out Cody Rhodes during his return on RAW next week

WWE RAW has remained consistently interesting since WrestleMania 40. Next week, a returning star could take on Cody Rhodes, setting up a future world championship rivalry.

Cody Rhodes gloriously defeated Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 40, and his next challenger was revealed this week on SmackDown. As the draft has not taken place, The American Nightmare could also face a championship challenge from a WWE RAW Superstar. This Superstar could be none other than Gunther.

The promotion officially announced The Ring General will return to the red brand this Monday, and fans await to see what he will do after his monumental loss to Sami Zayn at The Grandest Stage of Them All. Let's see why he could challenge the Undisputed WWE Champion.

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The right time to transition

Gunther had star written all over him since his main roster debut. He went on to have the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in history, which ended in one of the most cinematic WWE moments in recent memory.

After defending the Intercontinental Championship for such a long time and main eventing several weekly shows, Gunther has solidified himself as a World Championship contender.

It was difficult to book him as a world title contender when he was also supposed to defend his Intercontinental Title frequently. Now that he's no longer the champion, it is the perfect time to transition into a world title feud with Cody Rhodes.

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Gunther and Cody Rhodes' history

Many fans may think a rivalry between Gunther and Cody Rhodes may be somewhat nonsensical as they don't have a history against each other. However, that's certainly not the case.

At Royal Rumble 2023, Gunther lasted in the Men's Royal Rumble match for over an hour before getting eliminated by The American Nightmare, who ultimately won the match. History repeated itself at the 2024 edition of the premium live event as The American Nightmare eliminated The Ring General again.

Gunther is certainly someone who keeps records of things, so he will likely return to clash with the man who cost him a WrestleMania main event spot on two separate occasions.

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The most dominant force after Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns was undoubtedly the strongest force on the roster for over three years during his run alongside The Bloodline. However, Gunther was always a close second with his record-breaking Intercontinental Championship on WWE RAW.

WWE fans on the internet have pointed out how Cody Rhodes needs to clash with an unstoppable force after defeating Roman Reigns to keep the momentum rising. The best solution to this problem is The Ring General.

Fans will certainly question if Rhodes could retain the title against the former Intercontinental Champion, which will keep WWE the hottest it has ever been. The clash of these dominant forces will be a must-see spectacle.