Grading Cody Rhodes' Reign as Undisputed WWE Champion Since WrestleMania 40

"With great power comes great responsibility."

It is a quote uttered by Ben Parker that longtime fans of Spider-Man have been reading ever since the origin of the Marvel superhero in 1962.

Part of the reason that it has been so omnipresent is because of how accurate it is to the story of any great hero, including undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes.

The American Nightmare captured the top prize in professional wrestling at WrestleMania XL, defeating Roman Reigns in the main event and kicking off a run with the title that is now into its fifth month.

The moment he captured the title and finished his story, it was clear that expectations for Rhodes would skyrocket even higher than they were before.

Has his reign lived up to them and ensured Rhodes has a realistic shot at the "next greatest of all time" label?

Find out with this early review, including an overall grade for his run with the gold.

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Concerns over the quality of competition awaiting Rhodes following his triumph at WrestleMania were perfectly valid.

On the surface, the number of heels for The American Nightmare to work with in the wake of his championship victory was not nearly as many as on Raw.

Enter AJ Styles, one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and one of the most respected on the entire WWE roster.

Despite their shared history in Bullet Club, Rhodes and Styles had never shared a ring before. That The Phenomenal One was so beloved and admired by fans for being the revolutionary he was (and still is) made him the perfect first opponent for the new champion. That the feud could be stretched across two premium live events did not hurt matters.

From there, Rhodes moved into a one-off against the hated Logan Paul, a fellow champion and a social media megastar who had built up equity with fans via his better-than-expected in-ring work.

He was a star and relevant across several social media platforms. Booking him against Rhodes in a world title match, in front of thousands in Saudi Arabia, further elevated the status of The American Nightmare and got him in front of an audience that, perhaps, was unfamiliar with his work.

Finally, there was the rekindling of the rivalry with The Bloodline.

Rhodes had unfinished business there. He may have defeated Roman Reigns but there was still Solo Sikoa, the source of his greatest defeat just a year earlier, to deal with. Add to self-proclaimed new Tribal Chief the figures of Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Jacob Fatu, and Rhodes suddenly had several new heels with whom to feud.

The return of Reigns at SummerSlam and the tension between them, as well as Kevin Owens challenging for the title at Bash in Berlin, and the teases of Randy Orton eyeing Rhodes' title ensure the top babyface in the company has plenty of potential, high-quality opponents to keep him busy for the foreseeable future.

Grade: A

Rhodes has always understood the weight of being champion.

His father was the world champion, he is a student of the game and knew of the expectations awaiting him well before he pinned The Tribal Chief in Philadelphia.

Champions are expected to carry themselves with dignity and professionalism. They should be the standard-bearers for the company and represent it admirably away from the ring. There is immense pressure on them to be the face of the promotion and the brand.

Rhodes has exceeded all expectations to this point.

Not only has he been the face of WWE, but he has also helped drive it to historic business. The company experienced record revenue in the second quarter, which included the first three months (April-June) of The American Nightmare's championship reign.

According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, Rhodes was once again the top merchandise seller over SummerSlam weekend. It is no surprise as he has taken that top spot countless times over the last two years as he firmly entrenches himself as the most popular Superstar on the WWE roster.

Rhodes respects the championship, carries it with dignity, and has arenas full of fans ready to blow the roof off the building upon his entrance. He has, thus far, been the perfect spokesperson for the company and someone who should continue to thrive in that role moving forward.

Grade: A+

Rhodes set the bar extremely high for his reign as champion, delivering a Match of the Year candidate against Styles at Backlash in France right out of the gate.

While it was always going to be difficult to reach that level of output again, the WWE champion has still managed to deliver in his high-profile title defenses.

There was a physically brutal rematch against The Phenomenal One in an "I Quit" match at Clash at the Castle, followed by a strong defense against Logan Paul at King and Queen of the Ring a month later.

He partnered with Randy Orton and Kevin Owens to battle The Bloodline in a solid six-man tag team main event at Money in the Bank before squaring off with Sikoa in a high-pressure main event at SummerSlam.

The latter match was a tough ask for Rhodes who was tasked, at least partially, with elevating Sikoa to his level. Anytime a Superstar has delivered as consistently as Rhodes, and constructed the sort of trust with fans that the champion has, expectations will be high.

While the SummerSlam match was certainly good and the effort was there from both men, it was overshadowed by the return of Reigns and never really reached the level of those matches with Styles or the one-off with Paul.

His title defense against Owens at Bash in Berlin should see a return to form for the undisputed WWE champion while the long-awaited third entry into his epic rivalry with Reigns looms large.

Grade: A-

If there has been one weakness in Rhodes' run as champion to this point, it has been creatively.

Through little fault of his own, he has become a co-star in his own title reign.

In all three of his big championship programs, Rhodes has almost been secondary to his challenger.

Styles was the grizzled veteran battling Father Time and looking to prove he belonged in title contention. Paul was attempting to prove he was more than a social media simpleton outmatched by the best in the business.

Then there was Sikoa, who was determined to prove he was every bit the equal of Reigns by defeating Rhodes and taking the title.

In none of those three stories was the champion the driving force behind the creative, unless you support the idea that he was the guy they were chasing and as a result, actually was the centerpiece.

None of those three stories were his, though, and we have yet to see Triple H and the creative team concoct a story that is central to him and his evolution as champion.

One possibility, in which he would defend his title against former mentor Randy Orton and prove he has unequivocally become the top dog in the industry by toppling the guy who taught him so much, appears to be on hold until The Viper gets past Bash in Berlin and his own world title match against Gunther.

Rhodes needs one of those defining stories as champion to solidify his reign.

That is not to undermine anything he has accomplished with the men he has worked with. Styles, Paul and Sikoa were all better for having worked with the top full-time star in the company, another immeasurable attribute of any great champion.

Grade: B

WWE spent two years telling Rhodes' story, culminating in his championship victory at WrestleMania 40. He finished his story, captured the top prize and paid off the investment in him by the company and, more importantly, the emotional investment in him by the fans.

It was an unforgettable moment that left thousands in Philadelphia cheering and ring announcer Samantha Irvin tearing up as she announced his name.

Following up the championship win was always going to be difficult, but Rhodes and WWE have worked magic to ensure it was worthy of the new champion.

He proved his in-ring prowess in two classics against Styles, meshed his traditional work with Paul's social media-friendly style, and had another Attitude Era-style brawl with Sikoa. They were three different matches, which culminated three different stories, and in each of them, Rhodes reminded the wrestling world why WWE could not wait to bring him back into the fold.

A champion who makes the audience feel is as important as anything they deliver between the ropes. Luckily for the top promotion in the industry, Rhodes is a performer who delivers in every measurable aspect.

He is beloved by fans, has strong in-ring showings, sells tickets and merchandise, and above all else, he makes the viewer care about what he is doing.

Those are signs of a great champion and a quality start to what may end up being a long reign.

Grade: A