WWE’s Main Event Scene Is Finally Thriving… Because Cody Rhodes Isn’t Involved

The WWE Championship scene on Friday Night SmackDown had been stale over the last year or so, negatively impacted by John Cena’s botched heel run, Cody Rhodes’ drawn out feuds with Drew McIntyre & Gunther, and Pat McAfee’s bizarre insertion into the main event picture. However, 2026 has seen an upturn throughout the summer months with a red hot and unpredictable division which has seen several huge title changes, shocking moments, returns, and multiple interweaving storylines. So why exactly is the WWE Championship picture thriving? Well, it all comes down to the absence of Cody Rhodes from the main event scene.

Cody Rhodes Was Holding Back The WWE Championship Picture

• WWE was hellbent on booking Cody Rhodes strongly.
• Rhodes’ feuds on SmackDown were predictable and repetitive.
• Rhodes hasn’t had a memorable WWE Title match for some time.

Cody Rhodes has been the most popular and successful WWE star under the Triple H era, and there is no denying that he has emerged as a major draw and larger than life attraction. However, the last couple of years has seen a downward trend in the quality of his booking in the main event scene, and it in turn damaged the interest that fans had in the WWE Championship. When Rhodes reclaimed the WWE Title back from John Cena at SummerSlam 2025, he entered a never-ending feud with Drew McIntyre that featured baffling booking, repetitive rematches, a severe lack of storyline development, and uninteresting character work from Rhodes. They played some hot potato with the gold before Rhodes entered a hotly anticipated feud with Randy Orton ahead of WrestleMania 42… only for WWE to completely botch the booking by injecting Pat McAfee into their rivalry.

Rhodes moved onto Gunther in a fresh feud… only for it to ultimately be a carbon copy of the McIntyre feud fit with frustration from the heel at management, Rhodes scraping by in his title defense, and him overcoming the odds no matter what. Whether it be due to booking or Rhodes’ performances or both, his run was losing steam and the whole main event division on SmackDown was lacking. Thankfully, WWE made the call to move Rhodes out of title contention after his loss to Sami Zayn… and it has been a turn for the better.

CM Punk, Sami Zayn & Others Have Injected Life Into The Main Event

• CM Punk & Gunther moved from RAW to SmackDown.
• Sami Zayn has been elevated into a full-blown main eventer.
• Kevin Owens’ return brought more star power to the WWE Title picture.

Sami Zayn’s shock title win at Night Of Champions was a hugely welcome surprise, finally shaking things up on the blue brand. Fans expected Rhodes to win back the belt, only for CM Punk to do it first in another big moment and entertaining match. Rhodes would re-enter contention and face Punk, once again resulting in an underwhelming match that fell short of expectations at SummerSlam. However, Randy Orton’s return took Rhodes out of the mix, embarking in a non-title rivalry, opening the door for the likes of Zayn, Finn Balor, Gunther, the returning Kevin Owens, and even Johnny Gargano to get involved in WWE Title storylines.

Removing Rhodes and replacing him with a sea of competitors have injected much-needed life, energy, and difference into Friday Night SmackDown, finally pushing it ahead of Monday Night RAW in this aspect for the first time in quite a while.

WWE’s Main Event Scene On SmackDown Is Fun And Unpredictable

• Sami Zayn’s two title wins were both shocking moments.
• Fans now believe the likes of Owens, Gunther & Finn Balor could win the WWE Title.
• Cody Rhodes being busy elsewhere has freshened things up.

When it came to Cody Rhodes’ WWE Championship reigns, almost all of his title matches were predictable and easily forecast ahead of time. Now that he’s gone, things couldn’t have changed more. Not only have we seen fresh faces get shots at the gold, but shock title wins from the likes of Zayn have made it seem as though anything could happen when it comes to the WWE Championship. It is no longer outside the realm of possibility for Kevin Owens and Finn Balor to win a world title for the first time in a decade, Gunther to capture the WWE Championship, or some other name to step up, challenge for the belt, and reign for a short spell.

Although titles changing hands often isn’t always the best thing for prestige, it did prove to be a success in the likes of the Attitude Era in keeping things must-see, ensuring that big stars got their hands on top prizes frequently, and shook things up when they needed to be shaken. Rhodes will inevitably find himself back in the mix, but when he does, WWE must learn from their mistakes and ensure that the WWE Championship remains unpredictable and fun.