WWE Hot Take: Cody Rhodes Is Slowly Morphing into the 'Super Cena' of Current Era

WWE fans are going to tire of Cody Rhodes.

It was an inevitability that wasn't hard to see coming even before Rhodes finally finished his proverbial story and beat Roman Reigns to become the promotion's top champion.

Some of those ingredients that create this inevitable brew en route to a full boil remain or simply haven't changed. There is a combo of limited variety to what has unfolded so far and the obviousness of the future that Rhodes might not be able to escape at play.

So far, Rhodes' feuds while clutching the top title just haven't been all that interesting or varied. Some of that stems from his good-guy, John Cena-style character, which fits the WWE mold.

When Rhodes kicked things off by acknowledging Carmelo Hayes and giving the upstart a shot, it was a sign of things to come. Those respectful, go for the handshake after the match feuds haven't really ended. Even when a bulked-up AJ Styles was getting personal, the vibe didn't feel all that different from Rhodes' end.

It doesn't help that the specter of predictability hangs over things. There's no actual threat to Rhodes' title, which lessens the already repetitive nature of the feuds right now. He was in a clear-cut holding pattern until Roman Reigns returned, yet there was some question as to whether the Tribal Chief would even bother with the title right away while addressing more important family matters in the Bloodline.

That Reigns might not even go after Rhodes initially while he deals with other priorities doesn't help the perception of Rhodes. And the fact that the only other believable threat to his title before a WrestleMania was Gunther, who went on to win the other top title, isn't helping either.

Compare these feuds to, say, the rivalry between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre right now. Those two have put on an all-timer of a modern feud where it feels like anything can happen in any stadium on a given night. They're, at points, effectively feuding over a braclet, if we want to boil it down a bit.

Some might shout to the rooftops that it isn't a fair comparison, either. But if we aren't comparing a promotion's top titleholder to a titleless feud, then what are we doing? Especially when there were twoish years of buildup for the title win that led to this point?

Another comparison—the Bloodline. When Reigns was one of the longest-running champions of all time, he also happened to be spearheading a story that defined the early Triple H era of creative and made fans reconsider what pro wrestling storytelling could be.

With Reigns' run, it didn't matter as much that it was so obvious he wouldn't be losing. The actual match endings could have used some more variety, but everything else around the reign, from the compelling family-based drama to an oddball like Sami Zayn, was fantastic.

With Rhodes, none of that has really been present. Reigns felt almost outside the WWE structure with his heel character, like he was his own thing that didn't answer to anyone. That felt closer to The Rock and elevating the title to mainstream heights. When he came around, it was an event and the title scene was more akin to a sport like UFC. Being a babyface, Rhodes has felt like a character stuck in neutral sort of just doing his job.

For some fans, there is probably a little bittersweet deja vu here too. Before Rhodes left AEW, his character had grown stale. There were plenty of rumblings for a heel turn that never went fulfilled, which made the WWE return fitting. That doesn't help either—it sure feels that, just like Cena before him, the heel turn will never happen.

Yet now, Rhodes is in WWE and that prototypical Cena-styled character is also something of a relic of the past, or at least headed in that direction. Now, it's all about those line-stepping characters. Two morally gray performers can just feud for personal reasons and have fans invested. The super-babyface-merchandise-moving-machine is more reserved for a Jey Uso character, it seems, yet Rhodes isn't that far off it right now.

Fact is, if fans took issue with the Super Cena era, there should be some issue with this ongoing Rhodes run, too. Cena's character, at least, fit the time period. Granted, there's much less perceived "burying" of talent around Rhodes, which is to his credit a smooth modernization of the prototype.

Even so, the warning signs were there before Rhodes even won the big one. And again, who knows? Maybe there is a Homelander-styled heel turn in the works. Maybe a possible Randy Orton betrayal really lights the pro wrestling world on fire with a blood feud for the ages.

But the fact that those warning signs some fans pointed to well in advance have largely gone fulfilled isn't encouraging. This new era of WWE needs a modern headliner who takes the babyface formula and pushes its boundaries and Rhodes can be that. But so far, those who make Super Cena allegations have rightful complaints, too.