Since returning to the promotion in spring of 2022, Cody Rhodes has been a key figure on WWE programming. His consecutive Royal Rumble victories and WrestleMania main events, which saw him seize the WWE Championship and fulfill the years-long story has made him the company’s top act.
Rhodes has served the company well, performing on a world-class level as its premier babyface and an advocate for its public image. For the first time in years, the WWE has a top champion who fans can get behind without an undercurrent of backlash.
But even as the company’s top face, there is a chunk of the viewer base that hopes to see Rhodes turn against the fans. A Cody Rhodes heel turn has been talked about for a number of years, going back to his days as an AEW EVP. Rhodes has found success on the other side of the aisle, and one more heel run would offer new storytelling options for the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion. At some point, Cody Rhodes needs to turn heel.
The Grandson of a Plumber
What makes Cody’s current presentation work is that he appeals to a broad audience: young kids seeking a superhero, hardcore fans who followed his independent run, and casuals looking for a white-meat babyface. His Americana-centric iconography harkens back to flag-bearing good guys of yesteryear, resonating with audiences when it would’ve been panned as archaic or jingoistic otherwise.
He has the pedigree too, being an heir of southern wrasslin’ canon that older fans can reminisce on and the company can capitalize on in promotional material. Cody has even appeared in gaming crossovers on the company’s behalf, with his image being used in Call of Duty, Fortnite, and Clash of Clans, among others. WWEShop listed Rhodes as the top merchandise mover of last year, outselling the likes of CM Punk and Roman Reigns.
There’s a lot of money to be made on Rhodes with the fans on his side right now. WWE's booking style favors top babyfaces for their cross-branding appeal, especially among younger fans. Kids are going to have a harder time buying merchandise for someone they’d rather boo against.
Whether it’d be as a villainous rookie, a vain pretty boy turned Undashing, or a face-painted maniac, Rhodes has a proven track record of working heel across his first WWE tenure. Appearances on Being The Elite saw Rhodes depict himself without the constraints of conventional wrestling programming, leaning into meta humor alongside his colleagues.
He’s also no stranger to experimenting, even pitching himself as a Tony Stark-esque executive as the leader of Rhodes Industries. Although that gimmick wouldn’t make television, there are strokes of it in Cody’s current character.
“I Held Every Grade of the Revolution in my Hands…”
In his independent soul-searching tour in the late 2010s, Cody found himself as a heel draw aided by his ex-WWE Superstar status and Bullet Club membership. Donned in expensive suits and watches with his wife Brandi serving as his valet, Rhodes exuded arrogance and entitlement. More like Ric Flair than Dusty Rhodes at times, his heel character was not afraid to antagonize the fans and the humble dwellings in which he performed. At Cody's worst, he's petty and conniving in pursuit of power and gold.
He’d ease up this heelish edge as All Elite Wrestling’s de facto spokesman into the promotion’s early days as it tried to find footing on broadcast television. Cody spent AEW’s early months sowing goodwill among the fanbase between his blood-soaked ballad with brother Dustin Rhodes, being barred from challenging for the World Championship, and a stipulation-laden path that would end in him losing to MJF.
Partway through his AEW tenure, fans grew weary of Rhodes following multiple off-putting and spotty segments. Cody’s PPV entrances were extravagant, bloated affairs featuring throne-smashing, an exorbitant entourage, and ill-performed Downstait performances. For a supposed babyface, it came off as self-gratifying given his role behind the scenes.
His feuds with Anthony Ogogo and Malakai Black were criticized for failing to make a new homegrown star and not capitalizing on one of the promotion’s largest signings, respectively.
The fan-dubbed Codyverse felt like a wholly different program, where wrestlers felt worse off after a brush with the EVP. He no longer interacted with his Elite brethren on-screen by the time the Pandemic isolated production to Jacksonville. When live crowds returned the next year, the boos against Cody became harder to ignore as he felt like a secondary attraction in a company he helped start.
Rhodes tried to scrape some momentum to get back in the fans' good graces, even shedding seared skin and flesh in his hometown. Nonetheless, the disdain fans had for the babyface Rhodes rivaled the biggest heels on the roster. It didn't help that his entrance leaned into this gray area, as he didn't enter from either heel or face tunnel.
This all came to a head in his final promo for the company, where he reasoned his refusal to turn to the dark side saying, “It's because you cheered me when I needed it the most.” In spite of the negativity, Cody stood his ground for the love of the fans, whom he considered part of his own royal family.
All Rhodes Lead to Hollywood
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Rhodes commented on a potential heel turn, saying, “It could happen, for sure. I just don’t see it happening.” He also discussed the conundrum of playing a heel on television while doing Make-A-Wish appearances. He wrapped it up by sharing an anecdote posed by John Cena: that if someone comes in to boo him, then he’s already a heel.
Rhodes has taken steps into a career in entertainment outside the ring, taking roles in this year’s The Naked Gun and the upcoming Street Fighter film adaptation. His father retired at 65, and his brother’s still going at 56, so it’s unlikely he’ll hang up his boots anytime soon. However, should he find success on the big screen, that would mean prioritizing time away from the ring.
Notable Rhodes rival The Rock was put in a similar conundrum in 2002, where he cut a post-show heel promo after losing the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. Fans had already begun turning on him, so it made sense that he came back with a new Hollywood attitude heading into WrestleMania XIX.
John Cena’s Elimination Chamber heel turn was met with acclaim in February, but shoddy booking failed to capitalize on that moment in the months that followed. That turn came a decade too late, at a time when fans weren’t interested in booing Cena in his final year of active competition. Cena will be heading into his final match next month as a babyface, allowing fans to appreciate him in his element.
Steve Austin’s WrestleMania X7 union with Vince McMahon was another instance of effective storytelling being tossed in favor of shock value. With The Rock going on sabbatical, Austin lacked a true babyface foil to play off as the company struggled amidst The Invasion. There are other reasons that run struggled, but one of note is that fans didn't buy Stone Cold ever teaming up with his archenemy.
That’s to say, a great heel turn isn’t in a vacuum but is elaborated upon with effective booking. There needs to be someone waiting in the wings to step to the bigger star, someone ready to be made who could carry the company in opposition to Cody. Fans need to be willing to boo Cody, or else they’ll cheer him even while committing the most heinous acts. They need to believe it.
Human Trajectory
A potential heel turn for Cody would make sense as part of his "Story." John Cena told Chris Van Vliet of his then-hypothetical heel turn last year that "It's very tough to be mistake-free... that's like human trajectory." For Rhodes, who fans rallied behind with #WeWantCody, to have his resilient and pure moral fiber be weathered would make for compelling programming. It gives the fans a look under the hood of Cody, a study into who the American Nightmare really is.
As to what would fuel that heel turn, it's uncertain to say who would be the catalyst for it. Among his rogues' gallery, Cody has many options with whom he shares much history with. Drew McIntyre is a known instigator and brought out Cody's mean streak in their recent program. Meanwhile, someone like the sidelined Seth Rollins is always scheming his next move in the background. Turning against a beloved ally like Jey Uso or Sami Zayn could also be in the cards, but ultimately, whatever ends up happening should make sense.
A Cody heel run would offer a new dimension to his character and new matchups. Even though he's taken challenges from fellow babyfaces as a fighting champion, that dynamic shifts as a heel defending his keep upon a turn.
As a heel world champion adorned in fancy wares, Cody would become the archetype his father combated in the NWA. That's not to say he should spend the rest of his career as a heel, either, as there could be fruit in a redemption arc. This would pose a chance for Cody to redeem himself and realize who he truly is, and if executed properly, fans would welcome him to their graces.
If not today or tomorrow, then someday Cody Rhodes will turn heel.