Roman Reigns believes Cody Rhodes has proven he can carry the responsibility that comes with being WWE’s top star.
Despite their lengthy on-screen rivalry, Reigns and Rhodes have expressed mutual respect for one another outside of the ring. The two WWE stars are also part of the cast of the upcoming “Street Fighter” movie.
During an interview with Complex, Reigns discussed what it takes to become WWE’s franchise player and said Rhodes is the only current star aside from himself who has proven he can consistently handle that responsibility.
“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?” Reigns said.
Reigns continued by pointing to the pressure that comes with representing WWE at the highest level.
“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.”
Reigns added that reaching that level generally requires years of development, with consistency, durability, ambition and work ethic among the qualities needed to remain on top.
“As it’s been shown with John [Cena] and then also with me, it takes a decade or so,” Reigns said.
Reigns and Rhodes previously headlined WrestleMania against each other in 2023 and 2024. Rhodes has described their rivalry as “as real as it could possibly get,” noting that both men have wanted to occupy the position as WWE’s top star.
Elsewhere in the interview, Reigns addressed his own future in WWE and indicated that he isn’t planning to leave the ring anytime soon. Reigns believes he still has “a couple to a few years” worth of stories to explore and even considered what the Tribal Chief character could look like five years from now.
“As these young guys continue to grow, they’re gonna create matchups and situations for me,” Reigns said.
Reigns believes the emergence of WWE’s younger talent will naturally create new opponents and stories for him as his own career begins winding down.
“As I’m phasing out and as they’re really taking the helm, their superstardom, I think, will create those type of fantasy warfares.”
