Grading Cody Rhodes and Every Current Champion's Title Reign in WWE

The standard of excellence in WWE is defined by its champions. Each woman or man who carries the gold is seen as a step above the rest.

From Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley to Oba Femi and Giulia, these titleholders define their brands and push the rest of the roster to earn a shot to take them down.

Championship legacy is what defines a wrestler's career. A champion can only last so long, but that legacy can last forever. What will fans remember about a title reign after it is over?

Of the many champions in WWE today, some are rising with the tide. Others are struggling to prove their worth in a sea of talented performers.

The following is a complete list of all current champions in WWE with grades for their success or failure to carry gold and create a lasting legacy.

Title reign length (as of February 11): 49 days

Number of defenses: 2

Lexis King's Heritage Cup reign has started on rocky footing. He won the trophy by disqualification thanks to the interference of William Regal.

Since then, he has defeated former champion Charlie Dempsey twice in Sudden Death and Rounds formats, using underhanded tricks to escape with the Cup.

He has since declared that the Heritage Cup will no longer be defended in the Rounds format, likely putting an end to NXT's most unique championship in the long run.

While NXT is clearly committed to King based on his regular screen time, this Heritage Cup run is not helping his credibility.

If he does truly end the legacy of the Heritage Cup, the entire reign will be a mere footnote on whatever his legacy could be in WWE.

Grade: D

Title reign length (as of February 11): 163 days

Number of defenses: 8

While working in NXT does limit the spotlight on talent, Fraxiom's run as NXT tag team champions rivals the best in the business.

They have not only defended regularly on NXT television and premium live events but also ventured onto TNA Impact for two defenses in recent weeks.

The two men are highly regarded in NXT as singles stars as well, working multiple matches in a night when pushed to perform.

Their 163 days so far as champions does not even tell the full story as Chase U briefly took the titles off Fraxiom for 19 days after a 126-day first reign.

WWE may not value tag team wrestling highly, but Fraxiom could be the tandem to finally break through that barrier with a main roster call-up.

Grade: A

Title reign length (as of February 11): 107 days

Number of defenses: 3

Fallon Henley's Women's North American Championship reign did not start off on the best note, defeating Kelani Jordan only after she had lost to both Jazmyn Nyx and Jacy Jayne in a Gauntlet match.

Since then, though, she has defended her tile confidently, defeating Jordan, Tatum Paxley and Shotzi.

While she has had back-up from her Fatal Influence teammates, Henley has carved out a strong heel championship role in NXT that has given her a solid degree of credibility.

The end may be in sight for Henley as she will defend against Stephanie Vaquer at Vengeance Day, but she may just use this reign as a launching point for a main roster run.

Meanwhile, Vaquer can take her shot at defining the legacy of NXT's newest title.

Grade: B-

Title reign length (as of February 11): 126 days

Number of defenses: 5

It took so long for Tony D'Angelo to rise up the championship ranks in NXT that it feels like he has outgrown the brand despite still holding gold.

His North American title reign looks better on paper than in practice as he has mostly faced unfitting challengers since winning the gold.

Typically, the North American Championship should highlight the young up-and-coming talent of NXT, but his only challenger under 30 was the man he defeated to win the gold, Oba Femi.

The Don has serious potential in WWE, but only a main roster run will allow him to fully unlock it, perhaps even needing to leave behind his Family.

Grade: C

Title reign length (as of February 11): 35 days

Number of defenses: 0

The new era of NXT began at New Year's Evil when both top titles changed hands.

Not enough time has passed to truly process what Giulia's NXT Women's Championship reign will entail.

However, she did successfully dethrone Roxanne Perez after an impressive 276 days as champion. That win was an important first step in the new titleholder's WWE journey.

The potential around Giulia makes her feel like she has already held the gold longer than she has, but her first true test will come at Vengeance Day.

A win over Perez and Bayley would begin her ascent to top-woman status in WWE. If she interacts with Charlotte Flair more on the road to WrestleMania, she could soon be talked about in the same breath as Rhea Ripley.

Grade: B

Title reign length (as of February 11): 35 days

Number of defenses: 1

Oba Femi is the biggest star on the NXT roster, and for that reason, he holds the top men's championship.

He may not have held the gold long yet, but he already come off as imposing and dominant in a way a champion should.

In certain ways, he has surpassed Trick Williams, but it may take until Stand & Deliver in April for him to truly get a definitive win over the former top champion.

While his forthcoming match at Vengeance Day against Austin Theory and Grayson Waller is hardly inspiring, it is an easy way to give him a strong win early in his reign.

The longest reigning North American champion of all time is likely to get an extensive run with the NXT Championship as well.

Grade: B

Title reign length (as of February 11): 83 days

Number of defenses: 1

The Speed Championships are a novelty addition to WWE, giving certain underused stars a chance to add an accolade to their legacy.

However, due to WWE's commitment to X, the Speed Championship is not seen on WWE television and barely referenced.

It was a big moment for Dragon Lee to dethrone Andrade to capture his first main roster gold, but that may be giving too much credence to the championship's actual lineage.

Dragon awaits his challengers to emerge from the weekly tournament format to challenge him and try to dethrone him in less than five minutes.

Assuming WWE does not expand its coverage of the Speed division, this reign will go down as a footnote in Dragon's career as he awaits an opportunity to escape Rey Mysterio's shadow on TV.

Grade: F

Title reign length (as of February 11): 125 days

Number of defenses: 1

Due to the Speed division format, Candice LeRae's 125 days as champion to date are far less impressive than they should be.

It is nice to see her finally holding gold, but without the title being featured on WWE television, it hardly makes an impact on the product.

LeRae has begun to rise up the ranks of the women's division, but she still stands behind Nia Jax and will have a tough time escaping that position.

Perhaps 2025 will be The Poison Pixie's year, but her rise will not come as women's speed champion.

Grade: F

Title reign length (as of February 11): 164 days

Number of defenses: 7

Bianca Belair's dominance over the WWE women's division began at WrestleMania 40 where she and Jade Cargill captured the Women's Tag Team Championships.

However, their first reign only lasted 42 days before a shocking loss to Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn. Regaining the title at Bash in Berlin, The EST of WWE and The Storm looked poised to take over the division.

However, an injury to Cargill ahead of Survivor Series forced Belair to adjust, choosing Naomi as her new partner.

Regardless of who holds the gold with Belair, her reign will soon stand as the longest in the history of the championships dating back to 2019.

If WWE put a greater focus on the women's tag team division and created more rivals for the champions, this would stand out as a truly special reign.

Instead, Belair and Naomi continue to wait out challengers rather than actively telling stores with their competition.

The biggest story to come for the titles will likely coincide with the return of Cargill as no one still knows who took out The Storm.

Grade: B-

Title reign length (as of February 11): 57 days

Number of defenses: 1

It was time for a change when Erik and Ivar dethroned The Judgment Day as world tag team champions.

That change has been slow to develop, though. Over the first two months with the gold, only The Judgment Day has truly stepped up to challenge The War Raiders.

This does not have to be the case forever as The New Day continue to rebuild as heels while Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee are starting to find their chemistry.

The Final Testament could also start building momentum before long, and a battle with them could be exactly what Erik and Ivar need to build more credibility.

It may just be a matter of WWE booking over the worthiness of The War Raiders that holds the champions back. Tag team wrestling deserves more love on Raw.

Grade: D

Title reign length (as of February 11): 29 days

Number of defenses: 0

The shortest-reigning champion on this list, Lyra Valkyria has not had much time to create a legacy with the brand-new Women's Intercontinental Championship.

She has the talent to define his title as a workhorse belt, similar to the legacy of the men's equivalent.

Still, since winning the gold, The Valkyrie has not focused at all on her own title. She has no rivals stepping up to challenge her.

Instead, the title has been treated as a prop in her ultimate goal to capture the Women's World Championship.

Until a clear path is found for the future of the Women's Intercontinental Championship, she cannot grade highly, even with a great tournament run to win the gold.

Grade: C-

Title reign length (as of February 11): 113 days

Number of defenses: 4

Bron Breakker has the presence and status of a champion. He has made the most of every opportunity, even if he was more or less reset from a dominant NXT run when he was called up.

His Spear constantly goes viral, and he has not had a bad match yet in defending the Intercontinental Championship.

He has relied heavily on working with Sheamus to help him along, but that has become a right of passage as intercontinental champion.

The next stage on the road to WrestleMania 41 will be determining who can help him take the next step.

This is the time for Breakker to work with a top name and craft a rivalry that will define his early legacy.

For the moment, the stage has been set perfectly, though it would be nice to see him defend the title a little more frequently.

Grade: A-

Title reign length (as of February 11): 36 days

Number of defenses: 1

The last time Rhea Ripley held the Women's World Championship, she dominated Raw. She was the top name on the brand, even without strong consistent challengers.

She is likely to take back over fully on the road to WrestleMania now that she has ended the messy reign of Liv Morgan.

Her early result are positive including a strong title defense at Saturday Night's Main Event against Nia Jax, but her road to WrestleMania is still uncertain.

Mami needs fresh challengers she can help elevate to her level. It is not enough to simply keep working with Morgan. The two have fought for too long.

Bianca Belair and Iyo Sky are the most obvious names that would be elevated by an extended rivalry with the champion and could keep up with Ripley.

WWE will put heavy resources behind Mami as the most over woman in the company today. But her title reign will be best defined by who else rises with her.

Grade: B

Title reign length (as of February 11): 192 days

Number of defenses: 5

Gunther's Intercontinental Championship reign is a gold standard in the modern era.

It is the ideal every WWE champion is striving for, including The Ring General himself as world heavyweight champion. So far, though, his world title has not lived up to expectations.

Where has the fighting champion gone? The confident dominant titleholder has struggled to portray that same determination atop Raw.

His loss to Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel did not help, but it pales in comparison to the broader storytelling around the Austrian.

While CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre and others have told compelling stories week after week, Gunther has not kept the same momentum.

His work with Sami Zayn was rushed to a TV match conclusion. Damian Priest never came off as a real threat to him despite the champion looking consistently scared of the former titleholder.

His rivalry with Jey Uso has developed haphazardly into something WWE must push forward toward WrestleMania.

Something will need to change to make this story compelling and elevate Gunther back to main event status, especially since it looks likely Jey will dethrone him at The Show of Shows.

Grade: C

Title reign length (as of February 11): 67 days

Number of defenses: 2

The hot potato in the SmackDown tag team division is not helping anyone get truly over, but a fresh heel run has allowed Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa to become vital members of the roster.

#DIY once ruled NXT, but the main roster transition was rocky. Finally winning the WWE Tag Team Championships was a turning point for the duo.

Since that first reign, the tandem has lost the gold and regained it while working a massive 2-out-of-3 Falls match with the Motor City Machine Guns at the Royal Rumble on February 1.

A messy finish involving the return of The Street Profits could heat up the entire tag team division, which is a necessity on the road to WrestleMania 41.

Gargano and Ciampa have plenty more work to do on that road to earn a spotlight on the 'Mania card.

Grade: C

Title reign length (as of February 11): 59 days

Number of defenses: 2

Chelsea Green's Women's United States Championship victory felt like an honor that was earned over the past year of work.

She got over through her comedic work and overwhelming charisma, finding wherever she fit on the roster.

Her reign though has been off to a rocky start. After defeating Michin in the championship tournament, she has defended her title against The HBIC two more times.

This feud already feels never-ending, especially since Green and Michin were feuding before the championship tournament as well.

Green needs fresh opponents for her title to truly elevate the new championship. That might even require Piper Niven to turn on her, even though the two women are great together.

Grade: C-

Title reign length (as of February 11): 73 days

Number of defenses: 1

Since Shinsuke Nakamura dethroned LA Knight at Survivor Series, he has defended the United States Championship just once, losing by disqualification to the former champion.

While other champions on this list just need more time, The Artist has struggled to find time in the spotlight, haunting the backstage area on SmackDown.

It is hard to piece out what WWE's plan for Nakamura is. He was off television for months, occasionally working dates in Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan.

When he finally came back, he presented a more sinister heel persona, destroying anyone in his path. He simply hasn't had a clear path to rivalries since 2025 began.

That should change on the road to WrestleMania 41, but the difference between his reign and Bron Breakker's on Raw is stark.

Grade: D

Title reign length (as of February 11): 39 days

Number of defenses: 1

Tiffany Stratton is still defining herself as the top champion on SmackDown, but the early results are generally positive.

The Center of the Universe did not lose steam as many Money in the Bank winners do, making the most of a rivalry with Nia Jax all the way to her cash-in.

Her title reign will be further solidified by a victory over Jax next week, though there is still some uncertainty about how high she can reach.

Charlotte Flair did not give her much respect in their first encounter, but the expected match between them could change that, making her a new top name in the women's division.

Stratton still has an uphill battle to overcome, though, as few have been able to break through that ceiling long-term in recent years.

Grade: B-

Title reign length (as of February 11): 310 days

Number of defenses: 8

It would be easy to pretend this was a difficult choice by questioning if Cody Rhodes' title reign has gone stale or failed to live up to the legacy of the man he dethroned, Roman Reigns.

However, absolutely no one on the roster is anywhere near what Rhodes is accomplishing even factoring in any criticism of his reign.

The American Nightmare will walk into WrestleMania 41 with the same championship he left WrestleMania 40 holding.

Since then, he has had top matches with Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Logan Paul and Solo Sikoa to defend his gold.

It would be nice to see the Undisputed WWE Championship defended against more varied competition and more regularly, but that is down to prestige booking over Rhodes' availability.

His title defenses do not include his many house show matches, which do solidify his workhorse status, even if those contests are mostly ignored by WWE canon.

Every question asked of The American Nightmare since he took the top spot has been answered in the affirmative. He is the face of WWE, and it is hard to imagine him losing any time soon.

Grade: A