3 Friends of Cody Rhodes who may betray him & win the WWE Championship

When you have the top prize in the wrestling industry, you're a marked man. And when you are the top guy in the industry, everyone is vying for your spot. Cody Rhodes has witnessed this first-hand: AJ Styles played him, Kevin Owens betrayed him, John Cena betrayed him, and Seth Rollins now stands against him.

It is, therefore, very likely that there are some more stabbings in the back coming The American Nightmare's way, especially with Rhodes seemingly in need of backup leading up to Crown Jewel and alliances needing to be ignited or reignited heading into WarGames, and one of these betrayers of faith may very well end up taking the WWE Championship away from Cody Rhodes this time around as well. In this article, we shall discuss three such possibilities.

#3 Jey Uso

Jey Uso has changed. He has had a taste of what it feels like to be on top, and now that he is no longer there, he is turning into someone Jimmy always feared he would, someone they both once hated but acknowledged nonetheless, someone whose ambition and ego far outweigh his morality and his relationships.

On this week's RAW, Cody Rhodes, at Jimmy's request, spoke to Jey regarding the same, but while the WWE Champion tried to help his friend, Jey's actions demonstrated that he may have gone too far to be saved. His ears were receptive to what Cody was saying, but his mind clearly wasn't, for the eyes are the window into one's soul, and Uso's eyes were almost transfixed on Rhodes' Undisputed WWE Championship belt.

"Crash Out" Jey Uso has been heavy on "YeetMan" Jey Uso these past few weeks, and his failures may eventually lead him down a dark path. A betrayal may be incoming, as Jey Uso finally succumbs to his pride, ego, and ambition. He would undoubtedly make a solid challenger for Rhodes, with major potential for layered and intricate storytelling, and a run as a heel World Champion for Jey.

#2 CM Punk

Cody Rhodes and CM Punk could potentially be one of the biggest and most captivating feuds in WWE history. No histrionics; their on-screen dynamic is unbelievably compelling, and if someone said that they are the two most disruptive and game-changing professional wrestlers of the past 15 years, there would be plenty of very strong points in support of that argument.

The fun part is that either of them could go heel; they are both among the most consistent in-ring performers of their respective generations, arguably the two best guys WWE has on the mic (besides John Cena), and untapped potential that, when barely scratched, carved out absolute magic in their two antagonistic exchanges of words leading up to last year and this year's Royal Rumble.

Cody Rhodes vs CM Punk is a legitimate future WrestleMania main event, and for two men who have defined and redefined professional wrestling in distinctive and unprecedented ways, whether within the confines of WWE or far away from the global juggernaut, they have no business being a massive box-office draw.

That spot is mostly reserved for the Brock Lesnars and the John Cenas and the Roman Reignses and the Hulk Hogans and The Rocks of the world: people brought up from the onset, or at least "made" in WWE. When you look at two men, smaller in size, unorthodox in approach, disruptors who took it upon themselves to change the industry, and yet, so similar and different to each other in their own way, you don't just get the biggest match in AEW history that never happened, but perhaps one of the biggest matches in WWE you will ever see.

#1 Randy Orton

A feud between Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes is inevitable, and it is very likely to involve the WWE Championship, despite perhaps not needing the same. The Apex Predator betraying his protege to get No. 15, however, would be the most obvious genesis for the same.

WWE is clearly waiting for the right time to strike in what could go down as one of the greatest stories of this decade. In fact, Rhodes and McIntyre reportedly pitched for The Viper to accidentally cost The American Nightmare the Undisputed WWE Championship at Wrestlepalooza in what could have been the beginning of their gradually escalating conflict.

Nevertheless, whether to ensure Rhodes vs Rollins at Crown Jewel or just wanting Cody to stand on top to close out WWE's debut on ESPN, Triple H did not pull the trigger on a Drew McIntyre title win or a major moment in the Cody Rhodes-Randy Orton story. With Cody Rhodes having gotten the WWE Universe back behind him, there are no signs of a heel turn anytime soon, and that means that Randy Orton will be turning back to his old faithful ways as he succumbs to the Voices in due course.