3 reasons why Cody Rhodes should not win the Royal Rumble match

The wrestling world is eagerly anticipating Cody Rhodes' return to WWE. Fans are ready to give him the most amazing welcome following his pectoral injury last year. We will wager that the pop he receives upon returning will be nothing short of monstrous.

Many are backing Rhodes to return at the upcoming Men's Royal Rumble on January 28. It would be a phenomenal moment and one that puts him in the upper echelons of the Road to WrestleMania. Meanwhile, some fans even want him to go all the way and win the 30-man match to cement his name at the top of the WrestleMania 39 card.

However, as much as we would love for The American Nightmare to win the whole thing and challenge Roman Reigns in the main event of The Show of Shows, we have explored certain cons to the situation. Read on to see three reasons why Cody Rhodes should not win the Royal Rumble match.

#3 On our list of reasons why Cody Rhodes should not win the Royal Rumble match: He has to beat more top names before entering the main event scene

Rhodes has to have some more bangers

Everything about Cody Rhodes' return to WWE has been fantastic. From his banger of a comeback at WrestleMania 38 to his critically-acclaimed feud with Seth Rollins, WWE has booked him to perfection.

However, the aforementioned Rollins feud is the only one Rhodes has been a part of since his return. While he has wrestled the likes of The Miz and Kevin Owens, The Visionary is the only one he has had as a rival. As such, slotting The American Nightmare into the main event scene after just one feud may be rushing it.

The former Rhodes Scholar needs to beat some more big names before he can step up to the likes of Roman Reigns. That would give him more credibility in his World Title quest and also give fans more epic matches to watch.

#2 He has to exact payback on Seth Rollins first

Cody Rhodes' feud with Seth Rollins was one of the best things about 2022. The two wrestled three top-tier matches that were part of an intensely personal rivalry. Before Rhodes' injury, he defeated Rollins and was congratulated by his rival, only to be attacked and put on the shelf.

If the former AEW star returns to WWE at the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event, he should do so seeking revenge against The Architect first. A cheap elimination in the 30-man bout will not be enough to avenge the horrible things Rollins did. WWE should have Rhodes settle things with the Master of the Stomp before he moves on to better things.

#1 It would hamper plans for a Roman Reigns vs The Rock matchup

Cody Rhodes winning the Royal Rumble match and taking on Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 39 is the dream, but that's speaking from a fan's point of view. In WWE's eyes, there is way more money in The Rock fighting Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship after laying the SmackDown on everyone at the Rumble.

As such, WWE could overlook Rhodes in favor of The Rock as the winner of the 2023 edition of Royal Rumble. The headlines it would generate are too good to ignore, as are the possibilities of having The Great One back on SmackDown again. Ratings and viewership levels would spike like his eyebrow, which is something The American Nightmare just cannot match at the moment.

While Rhodes could still be the one to dethrone The Tribal Chief, that doesn't mean he has to win the Rumble. It looks like that distinction will go to The People's Champion, if you smell what The Rock is cooking.