Cody Rhodes' next challenger could be 40-year-old star, suggests ex-WWE employee (Exclusive)

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes retained his title against Drew McIntyre at Wrestlepalooza this past weekend. The American Nightmare has defended the title against top names like AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Solo Sikoa, and Logan Paul since his first world championship win against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL.

With McIntyre losing clean at Wrestlepalooza, Cody would need a new challenger after his program with Seth Rollins for Crown Jewel is over. Ex-WWE employee Vince Russo recently claimed that the promotion is likely positioning former World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso as Cody's next challenger.

While talking on Legion of RAW on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Russo said the 40-year-old's recent tease at a heel turn might set him up to be Cody Rhodes' next challenger. He highlighted how WWE built Jey up as a huge babyface and would undo all of that just because they didn't build another challenger up for Rhodes.

"The fans were booing Jay Uso when he speared LA Knight. And, you know, again, like I said, bro, the fact that they do not have an opponent for Cody, and is that the reason why? So, because you didn't book properly and you didn't have an opponent set up for Cody, all that time and energy you put into yeeting and the entrances and the little kids and the merch and out in the hallway, all that is going to be a race because we don't have an opponent for Cody," Russo said.

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Jey Uso has been dropping subtle hints that he could turn heel soon enough. He recently speared LA Knight out of nowhere and has been having disagreements with his brother, Jimmy Uso, lately. Jey has seemingly been trying to follow in Roman Reigns' footsteps as the Tribal Chief and could officially be given the moniker once Reigns returns to WWE.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Faiz Ahmed