Cody Rhodes continues to ramp up the tension on the road to WrestleMania 42, and his latest comments have only added more heat to the unusual situation involving Pat McAfee holding the WWE Championship.

During a recent media appearance with Rich Eisen, Rhodes initially laughed off the idea of showing up without the title before shifting tone and making it clear he sees the situation as a serious problem. He compared the current image of McAfee with the championship to some of wrestling’s most infamous moments, suggesting it stands out for all the wrong reasons.

“Yeah. Pat… the most offensive image probably in wrestling history. Uh and there's been a few along the way and and this is not a knock on any of these. The gobbledy gooker when they did that. Uh David Arquette winning the world championship always upset fans.”

Rhodes did not hold back as he zeroed in on the specific visual that continues to bother him, especially with his match against Randy Orton looming large.

“I think the most offensive image in wrestling history is probably Pat McAfee holding up the WWE Championship while standing next to Randy Orton, the actual guy, yes, that I'm wrestling at WrestleMania. And it's even worse because he's over there in the Thunderdome and it's just sitting there. The richest prize in our game… could I get another one? Sure.”

While Rhodes acknowledged the modern era could easily replace the belt, he made it clear that is not the point. For him, restoring the title’s status before the biggest show of the year is about accountability to the audience.

“It's modern company, you know. Maybe there's a… could I get another one? But I think it's important that we get that one back for the fans and I'd feel I wasn't a good advocate for them if I didn't get this out of Pat's hands.”