Roman Reigns has spent years at the center of WWE’s biggest stories, and the current World Heavyweight Champion believes Cody Rhodes has demonstrated the rare endurance required to stand as the company’s standard-bearer.
Speaking about his career, the demands placed upon a top WWE attraction and the future of the roster, Reigns singled out Rhodes for praise. Their rivalry has been among the defining rivalries of the modern era, but Reigns’ comments made clear that he views his former opponent as someone who has passed the demanding test of being a true face of the company.
“As it’s been shown with John (Cena) and then also with me, it takes a decade or so,” Reigns said. “Can you perform every single time and then deliver when you’re asked? Can you do it when you’re tired? Can you do it when you’re sick? Can you do it when you’re hungover after WrestleMania? Can you carry the banner for this company? This is a billion-dollar machine. It’s not easy. There’s only been one who’s been able to carry that banner, and that’s been Cody.”
It is a significant endorsement from Reigns, whose own run at the top helped define a major period in WWE history. His remarks frame superstardom as much more than popularity, championship success or a singular standout WrestleMania moment. In Reigns’ view, the designation comes from repeatedly meeting the pressure of WWE’s relentless schedule and delivering in every setting, including on the difficult days that fans do not necessarily see.
For more background on this topic, read Roman Reigns Says Sharing the Ring With Him Raises a WWE Star’s Value.
Rhodes has occupied an enormous place in WWE’s landscape through his work as both a leading in-ring performer and a recognizable public-facing star. Reigns’ comparison to John Cena and himself places Rhodes in elite company. Rather than presenting that responsibility as a short-term position, Reigns emphasized the years of consistency needed to truly establish whether someone can lead the promotion.
Reigns sees the value of a defining program
Reigns also addressed the effect that working with him can have on an opponent’s standing. The champion did not portray simply sharing a ring with him as the entire goal. Instead, he drew a distinction between appearing in a major match and becoming the central talent positioned to benefit from a full story built around him.
“It’s one thing to have a match with me,” Reigns said. “It’s another to be the guy that we’re working towards to transition from me, or to use my equity to then put a rocket on that guy’s back. If you’re in the ring with me, your value’s going up. It sounds arrogant, but I don’t mean it that way. I just mean that if you get in the ring with me, you’re gonna get the very best Roman Reigns.”
The statement speaks to the stakes attached to a Reigns program. A match against the World Heavyweight Champion comes with immediate visibility, but the greater opportunity lies in the narrative surrounding it. A performer who is cast as Reigns’ true challenger is not merely receiving a high-profile booking; that wrestler is being measured against a superstar Reigns regards as one of WWE’s most valuable attractions.
That is also why Reigns’ description of bringing his “very best” is important. The champion’s approach suggests that an opponent is not elevated solely by name recognition. The story, the presentation and the performance all need to make the challenger feel like they belong in that level of company. For a rising talent, handling that atmosphere can become a major step toward a lasting main-event identity.
Reigns was similarly clear that he cannot manufacture star presence from nothing. He believes an opponent must already possess a foundation of charisma and a genuine connection with the audience. What he can do, he said, is bring those traits into sharper focus.
“You put them with someone like me, and I’ll be able to exploit it and then try to magnify and make it even greater,” Reigns said. “But they got to have that thing going for themselves already.”
That perspective leaves room for the current generation to carve out its own identities rather than being defined exclusively by Reigns. The champion’s role, as he sees it, is to test and amplify what is already present. If a wrestler has the elusive “it” factor, Reigns believes a program with him can help make it more visible to the audience.
A future beyond the current title reign
Although Reigns remains the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, he also spoke openly about the possibility of a later stage in his career. He said there are still potential directions, unresolved ideas and fresh matchups that could emerge as younger WWE names develop into bigger stars.
“It’s all about the nuances,” Reigns said. “As these young guys continue to grow, they’re gonna create matchups and situations for me. As I’m phasing out and as they’re really taking the helm, their superstardom, I think, will create those type of fantasy warfares. What happens if he goes against the Tribal Chief five years down the road? If I stay in shape and I do my end of the job. I could possibly still have a whole ‘nother run that we didn’t even think about.”
Reigns did not identify specific wrestlers or storylines that he considers unfinished. Still, the comments establish an intriguing long-term outlook. He is looking beyond the immediate championship picture and toward a time when wrestlers still building their reputations could become compelling opponents for the Tribal Chief years from now.
The phrasing also reflects the changing nature of WWE’s roster. Reigns acknowledged that younger stars will increasingly take the helm, but he does not see that transition as necessarily closing the door on him. If he remains physically prepared and the right opponents rise into position, Reigns believes there could be another distinct chapter waiting after his present run.
For WWE, that creates a potentially valuable formula: established stars gain credibility through major confrontations, while Reigns retains the ability to return to stories that feel meaningful rather than repetitive. A future Reigns match would not need to revisit familiar ground if the opponent has evolved enough to present a new kind of challenge.
LA Knight is next at Money in the Bank
Before any long-range scenarios can develop, Reigns has an immediate World Heavyweight Championship defense on the horizon. He will put the title on the line against LA Knight at WWE Money in the Bank 2026, scheduled for Saturday, October 10, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Reigns enters that match after successfully defending the championship against Penta on Monday Night Raw last week in Mexico City. That victory kept his reign intact and set the stage for the meeting with Knight, another wrestler whose crowd connection and larger-than-life confidence have made him a prominent presence in WWE.
Knight’s title opportunity gives Reigns another chance to demonstrate the philosophy he outlined. The challenger already has a strong identity and an established bond with fans, traits Reigns said must exist before he can help magnify them. The Money in the Bank title match will determine whether Knight can convert that momentum into the biggest victory of his career or whether Reigns will continue to set the pace as champion.
The timing is also notable because Reigns and Rhodes will soon share the screen in a setting outside the wrestling ring. The two WWE stars appear in the new live-action Street Fighter reboot, with Reigns playing Akuma and Rhodes portraying Guile. The film is set to arrive in theaters on Friday, October 16.
That project adds another layer to Reigns’ praise for Rhodes. Their careers have been intertwined through massive WWE competition, and they are now part of the same major film release. Reigns’ comments, however, centered on the work Rhodes has done within WWE and the stamina required to represent the company at the highest level.
For Reigns, the standard remains demanding: show up, deliver, withstand the workload and make every major moment count. He sees Cody Rhodes as someone who has met that standard. At the same time, the World Heavyweight Champion is positioning himself as both a present-day measuring stick and a possible future obstacle for the next wave of WWE headliners.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.