WWE’s Biggest Problem Didn’t Leave With Vince McMahon

Jey Uso winning the Royal Rumble still feels unbelievable, but is it his fault? Not exactly. There is still one weakness in WWE’s product carrying over from the Vince McMahon era.

When Roman Reigns was untouchable as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, the biggest reason for that was WWE’s choice not to build anyone to oppose him. He was and still is a major draw, so they prioritized protecting him over elevating new threats. However, that strategy can only work for so long. Cody Rhodes was the best alternative. Roman Reigns needed to go away for a while, and WWE had to find someone who could step up and carry the company forward in his absence.

The problem Vince McMahon had with failing to build up several potential elite guys at the very top still remains in the Triple H era. Who has Cody Rhodes retained against since becoming champion last year? Excluding dark matches or live events, this would be AJ Styles (twice), Logan Paul, Solo Sikoa, and Kevin Owens (twice). We are not far from WrestleMania, and he has never been seriously threatened. In 2025, he has wrestled only three times on TV, with only one of those being in a singles match. None of these opponents were built to be credible threats despite their talent, which has only made Cody’s reign feel even safer.

Cody Rhodes has not been anywhere near the fighting champion fans expected. When Roman Reigns was champion, his appearances were rare, and his matches even rarer. We see Cody Rhodes a lot, but his match schedule is not far off from a part-timer’s. And despite being on TV frequently, there has not been any real character development. While he was away from WWE, he evolved as a performer across the independent scene, Impact, New Japan, and AEW.

Since returning, though, he has largely remained the same Cody Rhodes. WWE has not pushed him to evolve further, seemingly content to keep him as just active enough while ensuring he does not overshadow other top stars. In doing so, they have protected his position, but at the cost of making his challengers feel less meaningful.

WWE has kept Roman Reigns and CM Punk away from challenging Rhodes, who are probably the only two in the company we can point at and believe they could take the title. Nobody else has been pushed to the point they are believable, which is why Jey Uso’s Royal Rumble victory came with some skepticism. He has already lost twice to Gunther, and Rhodes beat Gunther for the Crown Jewel Championship. Despite being over with “Yeet,” what makes anyone believe he can beat either of them?

This remains a glaring issue within WWE’s booking of male main event stars. The elite are kept apart, while the upper midcarders are still failing to reach a glass ceiling that did not go away when Vince McMahon did. Granted, Triple H does not just push talents down our throats and lets them get over organically. That much I can admire. However, his long-term approach is not always the best strategy.

Vince McMahon, for all his faults, knew when to shake things up quickly. Right now, WWE needs more credible challengers, but there is not enough urgency to make it happen. With just two months until WrestleMania, there is little sign that either champion is in real danger of losing. If WWE wants to fix this issue, they need to stop waiting until the last two months to elevate credible challengers. Instead of coasting on the dominance of a few select stars, they would gradually build multiple wrestlers into believable threats long before WrestleMania season arrives.

For example, talent like Jey Uso, Drew McIntyre, and even LA Knight could have been positioned as serious contenders months ago rather than feeling like afterthoughts in the title picture. For now, both world champions seem untouchable.

Jey Uso is expected to face Gunther and win, but his booking leading up to the Royal Rumble did not establish him as a legitimate threat. Outside of WrestleMania, there would be little reason to believe he could beat Gunther. This weakens not only Jey Uso and Gunther but also the World Heavyweight Championship itself. Many fans will enjoy the underdog story, but others will criticize it, when it should feel like a universally earned moment.

Do you think WWE has enough time to change that before April, or is it already too late? Share your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading!

The post WWE’s Biggest Problem Didn’t Leave With Vince McMahon appeared first on eWrestlingNews.com.

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