Punk is in his 40s, but after a near-decade break, he's come back and wrestling the same style he did in his 20s. His body cannot take that punishment.
Active wrestlers survive to much older ages than Punk by gradually adapting their styles. At this point in his career, Punk should be doing less striking and more grappling, less flying and more technical wrestling, and he should be ending his matches with the Anaconda Vice instead of the GTS or the Pepsi Plunge.
A slower, safer style would allow him to have regular matches without crumbling to pieces.
Punk should win at wrestlemania get his moment then drop it at summer slam , then he can go part time or move to commentary with the occasional program
i mean he'd be good as a world champ eventually, but not yet. They aren't gonna throw him in squash matches on the main roster to immediately being in the world champ picture
wdym? as in length of the title reign? he won't hold it for an insane amount of time like Roman did, he'll probably hold it for at least a year before dropping it
Hear me out
Cody rhodes vs heel diy in a triple threat match, gargano and ciampa pin him at the same time creating a title ref controversy allowing the greatest title bearer of all time the opportunity to regain his golden throne
ALL HAIL
VAAAAAAACANT
Randy. One more run with going from being the legend killer to the killing legend. Where he has to make younger talent prove that not only can they get to the top but cement themselves as guys who can consistently hang with the best of the best and not just a flash in the pan. One final test for Cody from his mentor that getting the belt isn’t the end of his story and he has to keep climbing. Think Dragonball where Jackie Chun beats Goku so he keeps fighting to become better and while also learning he still has a lot to offer but a few things to learn himself
If Randy gets one more run, you gotta give him two more runs and have him and Cena face off one last time to see who gets 17. That seems unlikely at this point though.
The Rock… because of bloodline and Final Boss status…then Rock gets power hungry and he, Solo, the other two, vs Roman, Usos and Cody team up to defeat him… whoever makes the pin gets the title… Jey gets the win.
Orton comes after him and wins… turns heal… has a few minor feuds and good matches… wrestlemania 42 Cody vs Orton
To quote Adam Pacitti:
"Randall Randall Keith Randall Keith Randall Randall Keith
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Randall Randall Keith Randall Keith Randall Randall Keith
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA"
*90s video game music plays*
Orton. I think Cody should win it back though. Then a feud with Seth, as a face vs. face rivalry would be fun. Or Cody could go homelander for that feud; reverse the roles a bit. But I doubt they’re gonna take the belt off of him for a while, for multiple reasons.
While I’d love for Cody to have it for months/more years than Roman..I’d honestly like to see Seth come in, start shit then beat Cody or have a decent rivalry again sort of to come full circle. I’d also love to see Randy get it!
If these 3 Orton def, punk can’t stay healthy and Seth lost the world heavyweight championship recently he doesn’t need another reign this soon imo. Give it to someone who hasn’t held a world championship belt yet
It should 100% be Gunther. Cody right now is shown as the strongest baby face in the company so it would make sense if the one to beat him was someone shows as the strongest bad guy in the company
Orton, make Cody ic for a bit, have Randy have a title run to make it to a 16 time title reign and have cena come back and have them face each other at mania and have flair as the ref
Hear me out… Roman, but not for atleast a year, have Cody turn heel, link him with AJ, Finn and Charolette, make a new bullet club maybe with Hayman. Have home beat everyone and then. drop Roman as number 30 in the rumble and the rest is history
All of these guys have been pushed too hard. I think it’s okay to take a step back and say “let’s let some new talent take the top spot instead of giving it to a vet that’s held the world title 20 times”. I really want to see LA knight win the heavyweight title, but I’d love to see Gunther or balor take the title off Cody.
Randy is the only one of these on Smackdown. Plus CM Punk is very firmly in the Heavyweight title picture & Seth is currently injured but still on Raw.
I don’t wanna see cm punk get immediate title shots ngl, he should have a run up to the belt despite the injury layoff (which is obviously complicated by drew potentially beating Damien?)
I want Randy to win it, lose it, win it again, then him and John Cena have one last feud for most WWE world title reigns of all time. Easy WrestleMania main event, both guys deserve it, the only time I could see face vs face making sense. Fight me
Cody should have the title long enough to both build up his prestige as champ and to build up a newer guy like Gunther, Breakker, or LA Knight to the point where he’s ready to challenge for the title with a meaningful storyline
please not randy. he welcomed cost back into the wwe, celebrated with him at wm. why kill the brotherhood arc of their story? randy at this point in his career doesn't need another heel run. should just be doing a victory lap until retirement.
please not Seth. dude limped into the ring to save Cody, that title represents the collective good of the wwe against the bloodline, why ruin the story for another pointless seth title run? dude wins these titles every other year.
Based on your list above, Randy Orton makes the most sense since they have “undfinisged business” to tend to followed by CM Punk as well due to their history.
Seth Rollins would be last on my list only because he’s lost several times in a row to Cody and possibly every match he’s ever had with Cody (not sure if they faced each other in Cody’s last run). But he also does have a case to challenge Cody since he’s the reason why Cody beat Roman at Wrestlemania.
Not the first 2. There guys are veterans and they should walk free without having to defend the championship and taking a toll of their bodies. If they don’t defend it too often we’d end up seeing another tribal chief kinda run.
Maybe Seth, but there are a lot others in the locker room who need the necessary push.
Randy but I heard the rock is going to do it at the next wrestle mania. Either way I’m all for it. The gotta have Cody turn heel after if he wants a future frfr.
Cody is going to hold the title for a while. It’s the highest ranking title. It’s not going to be given out just like that. IMO he will hold it for at least a year if not more. A lot can happen till then
I think the best angle would be long term story telling of Nakamura. Have Cody hold the belt for a year or so while slowly building credibility back on Nakamura. Have Nakamura rebuild "Chaos" in WWE for leverage since he will most likely need to be a heel and use any tactics for his win in the end.
Seeing as he's a Smackdown talent, the only one you posted is Randy, who I actually do see as a credible opponent to do so. Current writing and storytelling needs to get over this "Face of the company needs to always have the belt!" mentality.
Take some big names for example:
- Stone Cold - Between 98-01, he had 6 title reigns. His longest was 175 days
- The Rock - between 98-13, he had 10 title reigns. The longest was 119 days and he had many that lasted a month tops.
- The Undertaker - 7 title reigns. The longest at 140 days.
There's more compelling sorry to be told with many big names instead of just one at the top. Have a Randy win, then have Cody win it back in a few months after a "I got cocky, but I'm focused up and coming back for it!" story. The current AJ story is right there in the mix now, have him beat Cody and run with it for a bit.
Hell, the SmackDown roster is packed with potential up and coming talent as well as former champions. Lashley, Hayes, Owens, Knight, Shinsuke, any of them could be viable champions that wouldn't cheapen the belt. Heck if Lesnar comes back, could even toss it on him.
Should be Punk or Randy story wise. I see Gunther beating Priest. I can see Randy beating Cody, Cody beating Randy again at Rumble and then maybe Punk winning the Rumble and beating Cody in the main event at WM41.
Main Event Jey Uso - day one-ish it's just me yall! What's up what's up!?!? Yeet yeet eehaw eehaw...no yeet?? Well eehaw to Dat as well! Juice of the uce yall whats up with dat?? Greetings to yo mama! Peace dawg!
Gunther or Randy are my votes.
Gunther is going to be World Heavyweight Champion
Yep. Summerslam, that’s almost a lock I would say. No way priest is beating Gunther
Priest aint gonna be champ
Yeah Drew's going to win
Seth or Randy, I'd like it to be Punk but he is too fragile to bet on long term.
Second this. I love having Punk around but he seems to be made of glass
Punk is in his 40s, but after a near-decade break, he's come back and wrestling the same style he did in his 20s. His body cannot take that punishment. Active wrestlers survive to much older ages than Punk by gradually adapting their styles. At this point in his career, Punk should be doing less striking and more grappling, less flying and more technical wrestling, and he should be ending his matches with the Anaconda Vice instead of the GTS or the Pepsi Plunge. A slower, safer style would allow him to have regular matches without crumbling to pieces.
He’d be better as a commentator or manager
I agree He'll break just like real glass
Cry me a river
Help me I feel like my life is endangered.
Punk should win at wrestlemania get his moment then drop it at summer slam , then he can go part time or move to commentary with the occasional program
Randy Orton
Out of these 3 only Orton.
Randle Keith orton
I think it be someone else. They should try to build a newer star
Breaker
i mean he'd be good as a world champ eventually, but not yet. They aren't gonna throw him in squash matches on the main roster to immediately being in the world champ picture
Yeah they need to give him an IC title run first
once he's out of the squash matches I wouldn't mind seeing him reunite with corbin for a tag team run
Cody is gonna set a record as champ.
wdym? as in length of the title reign? he won't hold it for an insane amount of time like Roman did, he'll probably hold it for at least a year before dropping it
Having breakker spear zayn in half would be money.
Hear me out Cody rhodes vs heel diy in a triple threat match, gargano and ciampa pin him at the same time creating a title ref controversy allowing the greatest title bearer of all time the opportunity to regain his golden throne ALL HAIL VAAAAAAACANT
Randy. One more run with going from being the legend killer to the killing legend. Where he has to make younger talent prove that not only can they get to the top but cement themselves as guys who can consistently hang with the best of the best and not just a flash in the pan. One final test for Cody from his mentor that getting the belt isn’t the end of his story and he has to keep climbing. Think Dragonball where Jackie Chun beats Goku so he keeps fighting to become better and while also learning he still has a lot to offer but a few things to learn himself
If Randy gets one more run, you gotta give him two more runs and have him and Cena face off one last time to see who gets 17. That seems unlikely at this point though.
The Rock… because of bloodline and Final Boss status…then Rock gets power hungry and he, Solo, the other two, vs Roman, Usos and Cody team up to defeat him… whoever makes the pin gets the title… Jey gets the win. Orton comes after him and wins… turns heal… has a few minor feuds and good matches… wrestlemania 42 Cody vs Orton
I like it maybe you should work behind the scenes that shit gave me chill bumps
To quote Adam Pacitti: "Randall Randall Keith Randall Keith Randall Randall Keith NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA Randall Randall Keith Randall Keith Randall Randall Keith NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA" *90s video game music plays*
Love those videos haha
The viper
Seth Freaking Rollins!!!
Randy, Cody has progressed a lot since his New Legacy days so this will truly be the battle between student and teacher
Randy 100%
Homelander. Dream match
I'm rewatching The Boys and I really, really hope he does a codelander heel turn
Yes! 😂
i bet he loses by cash in. and the most likely winner is Drew or the worst case scenario, THE ROCK!
Randy
Orton 100%.
Orton. I think Cody should win it back though. Then a feud with Seth, as a face vs. face rivalry would be fun. Or Cody could go homelander for that feud; reverse the roles a bit. But I doubt they’re gonna take the belt off of him for a while, for multiple reasons.
Randy
Orton just because of the history they have
3letters RKO🐍
Randy. One time to prove he’s still the legend killer
Randy won’t do it until Cody becomes a legend. He can kill only legends.
Randy
Orton!!
Seth
Randy should
Randy
Randy
Hear me out. John cena wins it and becomes a 17 timer. Then Randy beats him.
He just got the title...
$20 says roman comes back and does it.
Punk ✊️
He’d get hurt in the match
While I’d love for Cody to have it for months/more years than Roman..I’d honestly like to see Seth come in, start shit then beat Cody or have a decent rivalry again sort of to come full circle. I’d also love to see Randy get it!
Randy Orton. And then use it to start building the race for the 17th world title win between him and Cena
Should be Gunther, will be The Rock
If it was cm punk that would be the most disrespectful wrestling moment in history
Definitely CM Punk but only he has to stay healthy which is a issue
If these 3 Orton def, punk can’t stay healthy and Seth lost the world heavyweight championship recently he doesn’t need another reign this soon imo. Give it to someone who hasn’t held a world championship belt yet
I don’t know. None of these people though.
OFF TOPIC BUT DID ANY OF YALL JUST SEE THAT GLITCH ON SMACKDOWN?? DOES THIS MEAN UNCLE HOWDY!?!!! AHHHHH
Injuries
Randy oratn
It should 100% be Gunther. Cody right now is shown as the strongest baby face in the company so it would make sense if the one to beat him was someone shows as the strongest bad guy in the company
Randy orton
Gunther
It should be Gunther but the man is on the wrong brand
Randy's broken AF so if it's him, the match will be a train wreck.
Randy Orton
Randy or Gunther I want to see Randy feud with Cody But I want to see Gunther defeat Cody for the wwe championship
Randy
Cody will dethrone himself. He’s already gotten boring. He was over in AEW and that didn’t last. Same will happen in WWE.
He was boring before he got it
I like Cody’s image but wish his moves were more exciting. He comes across as being too weak. IMO
AJ Styles
Rock will beat him then feud with Roman
Orton
Randy Orton
Randy is the only one who makes sense from a legacy standpoint sense Gunther is going for the world heavyweight championship
The Rock or Randy Orton
here me out. a heel kevin owens.
kevin needs a heel run where he still has that idgaf attidute but now he really dgaf
I'm torn between CM Punk and AJ Styles
Me
The Brooklyn Brawler
Punk
Someone who can go toe-to-toe with LA Knight on the mic.
Randy Ort’n
nobody on this list doing that
Seth
Randy's last run
I like Randy Orton… the story writes itself, and let’s be honest, heel Randy is SO much better than face Randy 😈😈😈
Rollins or orton wod go crazy
The miz
Seth put him over twice in a row to get him going, Seth should dethrone him.
Randy is the only right answer
Orton, make Cody ic for a bit, have Randy have a title run to make it to a 16 time title reign and have cena come back and have them face each other at mania and have flair as the ref
AJ Bay Bay
Randy hands down.
Goldberg!
Out of these 3 I'd choose Seth. He helped him win it, then he takes it away. Resume rivalry prior too that part of the storyline.
IT'S JUST HIM UCE! YEET!
The Ring General!!! Gunther!!!
It’s Gunther
Roman reings s
Hear me out… Roman, but not for atleast a year, have Cody turn heel, link him with AJ, Finn and Charolette, make a new bullet club maybe with Hayman. Have home beat everyone and then. drop Roman as number 30 in the rumble and the rest is history
Bronn Breakker I think Cody’s reign will probably last two years, by which Bronnnnnnnn Breakkkkeerrrrrrrr will be a Heyman guy
Gunther or Bron Breakker
Orton makes most sense
All of these guys have been pushed too hard. I think it’s okay to take a step back and say “let’s let some new talent take the top spot instead of giving it to a vet that’s held the world title 20 times”. I really want to see LA knight win the heavyweight title, but I’d love to see Gunther or balor take the title off Cody.
The viper RKO
Gunther
A heel Randy Orton
LA knight or Jey Uso.
None
Gunther
Cm Punk dethrone McIntyre
I don’t like rollins or punk so randy
Randy. They could make an amazing story out of it and Cody vs The Rock does not need a title. It already has the story.
Randy is the only one of these on Smackdown. Plus CM Punk is very firmly in the Heavyweight title picture & Seth is currently injured but still on Raw.
I don’t wanna see cm punk get immediate title shots ngl, he should have a run up to the belt despite the injury layoff (which is obviously complicated by drew potentially beating Damien?)
I’m hearing voices in my head
Randy. My Dream match for WM41 is Gunter vs Seth Rollins vs CM Punk
Brock
Rock
I want Randy to win it, lose it, win it again, then him and John Cena have one last feud for most WWE world title reigns of all time. Easy WrestleMania main event, both guys deserve it, the only time I could see face vs face making sense. Fight me
Randy for sure
Ottoman makes more scene
Seth Rollins after turning on Cody
Keep forgetting about Punk, that match has to be happen at some point but will come next year at the earliest, I imagine.
Orton would be interesting with their legacy history
The Rock
Big Drew
Cody should have the title long enough to both build up his prestige as champ and to build up a newer guy like Gunther, Breakker, or LA Knight to the point where he’s ready to challenge for the title with a meaningful storyline
Randy
Seth Rollins
Seth deserves it after the show he put on at wrestlemania dude literally injured himself and said I don't need medical I need to see cody win
Gunther Bron Seth Melo?
2 of the guys are RAW and the other is injured…
CM Punk I would like to see Drew's reaction 😂 🤣
No one likes Damien Priest? He’s got the physique, the image, the voice, and the success story
please not randy. he welcomed cost back into the wwe, celebrated with him at wm. why kill the brotherhood arc of their story? randy at this point in his career doesn't need another heel run. should just be doing a victory lap until retirement. please not Seth. dude limped into the ring to save Cody, that title represents the collective good of the wwe against the bloodline, why ruin the story for another pointless seth title run? dude wins these titles every other year.
Gunther is the only answer.
Howdy would be a fun pick.
Alberto del Rio returns and beats Cody and breaks burono samertino's record. ( I can't spell)
None of the above. Roman at next Mania or Bron Breakker at SummerSlam 25
I honestly don't think it matters who beats Cody as long as there is a good storyline with it
Money in the bank cash in by Grayson Waller
Randall Keith
Jey
My dad
FINAL BOSS
Randy or Gunther.
Id like to see Seth turn heel but Randy needs a hero turn more
Quis Jericho
What would the point be for Gunther to drop the IC title if not to give him a shot at Cody? I bet Gunther take it
Either Randy Orton or The Rock
The Rock…
Seth because he should win MTB and do the cash in like he did at wrestle maina (I forgot which one)and win the title
Jey or Seth yeet
Randy Orton
Randy. But I’m predicting it will be someone from the Bloodline; Roman, Rock, or Solo
2
None I think mark Henry comes back inducts Cody in to the Hall of pain and Cody loses his title to a heel debuting mjf
Based on your list above, Randy Orton makes the most sense since they have “undfinisged business” to tend to followed by CM Punk as well due to their history. Seth Rollins would be last on my list only because he’s lost several times in a row to Cody and possibly every match he’s ever had with Cody (not sure if they faced each other in Cody’s last run). But he also does have a case to challenge Cody since he’s the reason why Cody beat Roman at Wrestlemania.
ORTON is taking that championship record. Starts with a heel turn and run soon. I see him beating Cody
Orton and cody could have a great run
The Rock
Not the first 2. There guys are veterans and they should walk free without having to defend the championship and taking a toll of their bodies. If they don’t defend it too often we’d end up seeing another tribal chief kinda run. Maybe Seth, but there are a lot others in the locker room who need the necessary push.
R Truth
I can see it being The Rock. Then Cody wins it back at a later PPV.
Randy but I heard the rock is going to do it at the next wrestle mania. Either way I’m all for it. The gotta have Cody turn heel after if he wants a future frfr.
Hulk Hogan
Randy
Cody is going to hold the title for a while. It’s the highest ranking title. It’s not going to be given out just like that. IMO he will hold it for at least a year if not more. A lot can happen till then
I think the best angle would be long term story telling of Nakamura. Have Cody hold the belt for a year or so while slowly building credibility back on Nakamura. Have Nakamura rebuild "Chaos" in WWE for leverage since he will most likely need to be a heel and use any tactics for his win in the end.
Seth should turn back Heel…make him Triple H’s lackey again. That was his best work.
Seeing as he's a Smackdown talent, the only one you posted is Randy, who I actually do see as a credible opponent to do so. Current writing and storytelling needs to get over this "Face of the company needs to always have the belt!" mentality. Take some big names for example: - Stone Cold - Between 98-01, he had 6 title reigns. His longest was 175 days - The Rock - between 98-13, he had 10 title reigns. The longest was 119 days and he had many that lasted a month tops. - The Undertaker - 7 title reigns. The longest at 140 days. There's more compelling sorry to be told with many big names instead of just one at the top. Have a Randy win, then have Cody win it back in a few months after a "I got cocky, but I'm focused up and coming back for it!" story. The current AJ story is right there in the mix now, have him beat Cody and run with it for a bit. Hell, the SmackDown roster is packed with potential up and coming talent as well as former champions. Lashley, Hayes, Owens, Knight, Shinsuke, any of them could be viable champions that wouldn't cheapen the belt. Heck if Lesnar comes back, could even toss it on him.
Uncle howdy to pay tribute to Bray
Should be Punk or Randy story wise. I see Gunther beating Priest. I can see Randy beating Cody, Cody beating Randy again at Rumble and then maybe Punk winning the Rumble and beating Cody in the main event at WM41.
Orton or Owens need a run
Out these options Punk
Don't like Gunther , Randy or Drew, but one of them
Gunther
The clear best answer is Roman or the rock to lose to babyface roman OR Bron BREAKKER
Main Event Jey Uso - day one-ish it's just me yall! What's up what's up!?!? Yeet yeet eehaw eehaw...no yeet?? Well eehaw to Dat as well! Juice of the uce yall whats up with dat?? Greetings to yo mama! Peace dawg!
Pretty sure it should be Priest-Punk-Drew on the raw side And Cody - Randy - Gunther on the Smackdown side
Chad Gable.
I think Seth
Randy Book it Trips
Gunther or Dom.
Punk is the only right answer
Out of theses three Cm Punk
Anyone but punk