Cody Rhodes Dominates Bloodline En Route to King of the Ring Final at Night of Champions

Cody Rhodes is on a warpath—and The Bloodline keeps falling in his wake.

This week on WWE Raw, the “American Nightmare” added another name to his growing list of Samoan conquests, defeating “Main Event” Jey Uso to secure his place in the King of the Ring final at Night of Champions this Saturday in Saudi Arabia. The win doesn’t just solidify Rhodes’ scorching return to form—it may signal the end of an era for WWE.

Since dropping the Undisputed WWE Championship to John Cena at WrestleMania 41, Rhodes has gone on an unrelenting run, racking up three consecutive victories. His latest win sets the stage for a high-stakes bout against Randy Orton, his former mentor, in a battle brimming with personal history and championship implications.

But this isn’t just about a title—or a crown. For Cody Rhodes, this is personal.

In the span of just over a year, Rhodes has dismantled The Bloodline’s once-impenetrable grip on WWE. At WrestleMania 40, he completed his long chase by toppling Roman Reigns, ending one of the most dominant championship reigns in modern wrestling history. From there, he took aim at Solo Sikoa, defeating him multiple times across major events including SummerSlam and SmackDown.

Even Jacob Fatu, The Bloodline’s most physically imposing member, couldn’t escape. Rhodes became the first superstar to pin Fatu in a match—albeit a dark one—in Philadelphia, the very city where he began his crusade by ending Roman Reigns’ historic reign.

He wasn’t done there. At Bad Blood in October, in a poetic twist, Rhodes even teamed up with Reigns to defeat Fatu and Sikoa in tag-team action. The message was unmistakable: The Bloodline may have ruled WWE for years, but its time is up—and Rhodes is the man pulling the plug.

Jey Uso’s loss on Monday only added fuel to Rhodes’ fire. With each match, each decisive win, Rhodes continues to position himself not only as a top contender, but as the man rewriting WWE’s power hierarchy in real time.

And yet, for all of Rhodes’ success, a larger question looms over WWE: has the company lost its soul in the process?

Critics and longtime fans alike have begun to voice concerns that WWE, in its new era under Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, is missing the narrative glue that once held the shows together. The demise of The Bloodline—once the company’s most compelling, multi-layered story—has left a noticeable void in SmackDown’s weekly storytelling.

Brian Last, co-host of the wrestling podcast Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru, didn’t hold back during a recent segment. “Since the end of The Bloodline, there’s nothing to hold the show together right now,” Last said. “It’s just, ‘Hey, let’s put a bunch of stuff out there.’”

He pointed to recent creative decisions—such as a slew of four-way matches and a questionable John Cena heel turn—as signs of disarray. For some fans, these choices feel more like programming filler than purposeful narrative arcs.

While a new rivalry appears to be simmering between Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu, even that dynamic has raised eyebrows. Fatu, one of the most promising talents to emerge from the Samoan family tree, seems to be gaining momentum—but at the cost of his cousin Sikoa, potentially fracturing another corner of what was once WWE’s most dominant faction.

Meanwhile, Seth Rollins, another of Levesque’s marquee talents, now holds the Money in the Bank contract—putting him in perfect position to steal the spotlight at any moment. But Rollins’ polarizing character continues to confuse audiences. One week, he’s showered with boos; the next, fans are singing his entrance theme in unison. He exists in a gray area—entertaining, sure, but not the stabilizing force WWE might need.

As for Roman Reigns, the former Tribal Chief has been conspicuously absent, his contract reportedly set to expire following WrestleMania 42 next spring. With no clear return in sight, the idea of Reigns reuniting his scattered Bloodline to challenge Rhodes or Rollins feels increasingly like wishful thinking rather than imminent storytelling.

Strategically, Levesque’s reliance on Rhodes and Rollins makes sense. Both are proven draws, with the ability to anchor the company as new stars—like Bron Breakker—are developed. And there’s no question that Rhodes resonates with younger audiences, a key demographic for WWE’s future.

But wrestling has always thrived on compelling villains, long-term arcs, and emotional payoffs. The fall of The Bloodline, while inevitable, may have come too soon—or without a clear successor to fill its narrative heft.

For now, Rhodes is charging ahead, perhaps toward another world title shot or a deeper feud with Rollins. His current trajectory points to the Night of Champions final as a defining moment—both for his career and for WWE’s creative direction.

And if history holds, don’t be surprised if Rhodes walks out of Saudi Arabia not just as King of the Ring, but as the man who buried the last remnants of The Bloodline once and for all.

As for Rikishi, who has become an outspoken voice for the family, another impassioned promo about “his baby boy Jey” taking a clean loss seems inevitable—and perhaps more emotionally resonant than anything else WWE has on the air right now.

Because until WWE figures out its next defining saga, it’ll be Cody Rhodes, the American Nightmare, ruling a kingdom that’s still searching for its crown.