Cody Rhodes Suggests CM Punk Is His Main Challenger To Succeed WWE CCO Triple H

Triple H has been WWE's CCO since September 2022 and took over the company's creative duties from his father-in-law, Vince McMahon. The 56-year-old has found success in the boardroom, overseeing a boom period that peaked at WrestleMania 40 when Cody Rhodes finished the story and won the WWE Championship against Roman Reigns in the main event.

Rhodes spoke about WWE's long-term future and whether he thought some of the current roster were eyeing Levesque's job. The American Nightmare appeared to make CM Punk his closest competitor for the potential role while speaking to ESPN: "I think there’s starting to become a fight for it, and I didn’t see that at first. I thought, well, obviously I’m the best candidate. I felt like I had some experience, and I’d be interested in something like that. But also, it’s very clear that CM Punk is really great at helping develop young talent. He probably has a knack for it more than anybody."

Punk is just as experienced as Rhodes, with both having worked the independent circuit and become main event talents in WWE, with extensive knowledge of pro wrestling and the business side of the product. Their careers have taken different directions, but the WWE Champion has served as an Executive Vice President of AEW and was one of the promotion's founding members.

The pair met first in WWE and then in AEW before Rhodes returned to WWE in April 2022 at WrestleMania 38 to claim his place at the top of the business as a two-time WWE Champion. Punk made a shock return at Survivor Series in November 2023 and buried the hatchet with Triple H and NXT head booker, Shawn Michaels.

Punk is regularly backstage at NXT helping the younger generation, which ties in with Rhodes' stance over how good the Best in the World is at developing talent. But Rhodes also proposed other candidates to succeed Triple H: "Seth Rollins is a little bit more rough around the edges, but probably would be an outstanding boss when it comes down to it. I’d love to throw my name in the hat. I don’t know if I’m ready to do it officially yet, but I like the fact that there’s the three of us; plus tons of other people. Bayley, Roman will always have a say."

He added: "You’ve got an older locker room right now, so eventually those positions, see if you can do good because it’s not always booking. The industry is not easy, and Triple H is doing a great job, so thankfully we have him for quite some time."

Rhodes will be in action on Saturday (September 20) at Wrestlepalooza when he puts his WWE Championship on the line against Drew McIntyre. WWE's latest PLE is a revival of the ECW PPV, marking Triple H's latest business move, which will see it be the first event to stream on ESPN.

Cody Rhodes & CM Punk Leadership Team Would Be Best Outcome

When Triple H does eventually step away from WWE as CCO, it won't likely take long for the company to find a successor. As Cody Rhodes explained, there are many experienced candidates who could step up and replace him, but a partnership between the son of WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes and CM Punk would make for an excellent leadership team.

Rhodes could be more focused on the business by using the knowledge gained while working as an Executive Vice President at AEW. He speaks extremely well in public, which is a vital asset for the job. The 40-year-old has promoted WWE superbly as both the company's poster boy and a world champion.

Punk feels the better fit to work with talent and help them grow while overseeing their development from NXT and their arrivals on the main roster. The 46-year-old received a glowing verdict from NXT star Trick Williams earlier this year, who said, "He takes pride in helping us, the next generation, to become the superstars that we need to be. He gives us real advice, too. He talks about how to handle yourself, in the ring, outside the ring, with everything it takes to become a superstar."

Triple H and Shawn Michaels are similarly leading the current generation of WWE, and it feels Rhodes and Punk could jump straight into their respective roles. But that's still a long way off, as the CCO often says, 'we're just getting started' amid the TKO era that only began in September 2023.